A new girl's presence
by PromisesWithinLife
Summary: #1. There is a new student coming to Gakuen Alice. She's the average caring beauty. Though, she has secrets in which she prefers to be kept a secret. Along with her presence, she brings along trouble, fun and memories to be remembered forever.
1. A new girl's presence

Please note before continuing on with the story.

Everyone is in their late teens – around 17 or 18.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

And…I suck at grammar (:

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><p>On a regular day at Gakuen Alice, all students were in their classes. However, for one particular class, they were to have a new addition in their class.<p>

Like any other day, Narumi skipped into the classroom as gay as ever can be. Yes, Narumi. He had followed his students from 2B class every year to be their homeroom teacher. Now they were in year 10B and the gay teacher is still with them, much to the disappointment of the class, especially a certain raven-haired boy.

"Good morning my beloved students! Please proceed to your seats! We have a new student!" announced Narumi. And with that, the students started firing questions at their teacher.

"WHAT GENDER?"

"ARE THEY PRETTY?"

"GORGEOUS?"

"HANDSOME?"

Narumi merely smiled, which pretty much had the class suspicious, except certain two raven-haired students (of course…?).

"Well, my lovely students, I shall let you see for yourself!" Narumi then turned towards the door, and said, "Come in, please".

With that, a brunette haired girl walked gracefully into the room with her hair swaying along with her movement. Her uniform was worn properly, unlike most of the other girls in the class, dressing up to try and impress their good-looking, heart-throbbing raven-haired guy. Either way, she was gorgeous, with most of the guys drooling over her and most of the girls envying her for being too pretty.

With the number of students paying attention up front cause the attention of the two raven haired students. Natsume Hyuuga dropped his manga from his face to see this 'ever-so-gorgeous-student' only to see that it was true. Her hair was tied up into a ponytail, her uniform all good and proper unlike most of the other girls in the class, having all their faces overly done up. Though, he wasn't going to drool pathetically over a girl for her looks. No, Natsume Hyuuga does not drool.

After a while of gawking, the new student coughed in order to receive 'proper' attention.

"Hello! My name is Mikan. Feel free address me freely, please. I'm 17 years old and um, female… as you wanted to know, please take care of me!" she introduced herself, finishing off with a bow towards the class and Narumi.

"Alright, any questions? And please introduce yourself before you ask the question"

A few students put up their hands "Hello. I'm Anna Umenomiya with the Alice of cooking. What is her star rank and alice?" she asked.

Narumi merely replied slyly, saying, "Well, my dear students. You will have to find out yourself! Any other 'appropriate' questions?" he asked knowing what thoughts the boys were thinking. No one else raised their hand.

With that, Narumi smiled at her and said "Ok, now Mikan, you will need a part-"

"Um, Narumi-sensei" she cut in "I don't need a partner. Please, it's alright. All it would be is a burden for them, and I already know the academy well".

With that announcement, all boys were heartbroken. Yes, _all_. Though, they tried to hide their heartbroken-ness. And Mikan, seeing this, not liking people being upset, said "um, but, I would love to know all of you! Please, I hope we will all be friends!"

Ever since entering the classroom, she still hadn't noticed a pair of purple eyes staring her until a sudden voice was heard.

"Mikan…"

Hearing her name and the sound of an awfully familiar voice, she spun toward the direction it came from, to find her ever so beloved friend.

"Ho…ta…ru…?" she asked uncertainly, wanting to make sure before she started to shout and scream her lungs out of herself. She quickly rejoiced herself when she saw a small nod. The rest of the class was speechless, to see Hotaru to speak first, stop working on her invention as well as reply to a 'sort-of' question. They turned to face Mikan only to be met with a teary-eyed girl. They all decided to stay quiet and moved out of the way and see what was to happen next. Heck, even THE Natsume Hyuuga was interested to see who this 'Mikan' was.

Seeing the tears Mikan was letting escape, Hotaru pulled out her Baka gun and…

"Holy shit" was the only thing they heard from one of the students, namely Kokoro Yome.

BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA,BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA,BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA, BAKA,BAKA.

Almost everyone gasped in shock, to see what had happened before them. Not the fact that Hotaru pulled out her Baka gun at someone on their first class but they gasped in shock because of what they saw Mikan did. She had managed to dodge the bullets gracefully. Every single bullet dodged. ALL 28! No one has ever been able to dodge ONE let alone TWENTY EIGHT! The most ever dodged was the record of 5, and that was from Natsume Hyuuga. No one else was able to survive the first blow. All was quiet until they hear Mochiage saying what they were all thinking.

"Holy shit"

Mikan and Hotaru were still in each other's comforts, not caring about their little audience. Soon, Hotaru broke the silence between them.

"So you still have it, eh, Mikan? For once, I'm proud of you being able to keep skill"

Hearing this, Mikan pouted, causing most the boys have hearts in their eyes.

"Mou, Hotaru, you're still mean as usual" she said. Then, she gave out a smirk and continued, "Still doing money making business?"

Somehow, with this, Hotaru gave out an evil smirk and there was an evil glint in her eyes and replied, "Is it not obvious, Mikan?"

Mikan let out a small laugh and spoke, "Oh Hotaru..." she said whilst shaking her head before continuing, "who's the unfortunate one being blackmailed?"

She turned her head to where Hotaru pointed before she headed back to work with her invention. Mikan made her way to the unfortunate one that was always targeted by Hotaru by her evil schemes.

"Hello, I'm Mikan, childhood friend of Hotaru-chan's! What's your name?'

Whilst she was talking, the poor boy's face was flushing the deepest red it could have.

"Hello, Mikan-san, I'm Ruka. Ruka Nogi. Nice to meet you"

"Nice to meet you Nogi-kun! I'm sorry about my friend" Mikan apologized, entwining her fingers, and turning her body from side to side. "You're the new victim of Hotaru Imai, eh?"

"Yeah, I guess so…" Ruka answered, blushing. While talking, he couldn't help but wonder how on earth she could just make a conversation with everyone staring at her. He was about to continue the conversation when Narumi gave out a cry.

"My beloved students! How could you forget your lovely teacher here?"

Everyone quickly took their places behind their desks and Mikan went back up to the front of the classroom. As soon as everyone was back in place, Narumi turned to Mikan and spoke.

"Well, Mikan, I see you don't want a partner, but I will still need to assign one to you. Natsume Hyuuga shall be your partner"

With that announcement, all girls in the class fainted (except Hotaru, of course) due to the loss of their _beloved_ Natsume Hyuuga. Natsume just glared at his gay teacher before setting his teacher's frilly clothes on fire making the teacher run out of the room, announcing a self-studying period.

Mikan simply stared at the door where the teacher ran out of before staring straight forward to walk to her seat. She quietly sat down, took out a book and started reading. This caught the raven-haired boy's attention, since the girl wasn't trying to scoot closer to him. She wasn't even batting her eyelashes at him.

Suddenly, Mikan smirked, having to know what the boy next to her was thinking. She then turned her head slightly to him and whispered: "I'm not going to jump on you, don't worry, I'm having trouble with that myself" she nodded her head towards the group of boys forming a fanclub for her before giving out a groan.

All Natsume replied was his usual 'Hn' as a reply. He couldn't help but wonder how she was able to dodge Imai's bullets - and gracefully at that. Heck, no one seemed to even know her last name apart from Imai. He continued reading where he left off on his manga before letting out a smirk of his own.

'This sure is going to be one heck of a girl' he thought before losing himself into the manga he was reading, giving occasional glances at the brunette beauty next to him, (not that he would admit it, of course).

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><p>Hello! This is my first fan fiction. Please go easy on me! I wrote this chapter in about 2 hours, so that would be the explanation if nothing made sense. Please, feel free to give me advice on how to continue my chapters!<p>

R&R! (:


	2. Just a helping skill of mine

Please note before continuing on with the story.

Everyone is in their late teens – around 17 or 18.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

And, I suck at grammar (:

On another note, this chapter might be a bit confusing. (:

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><p>Lunch had finished already and they were in English learning about 'Shakespeare'. As much as Mikan wanted to pay attention to the teacher and what he was teaching and what he was saying, she still couldn't seem to ignore the three things that were bothering her.<p>

1. Knowing that most of the guys in the class were staring, no, scratch that, gawking at her

2. She already knew what the teacher was teaching, so she just let herself daydream away

3. And of course, what happened at lunch

Having a reminder about what happened at lunch, she couldn't help but smirk. Her humor wasn't much, but what happened was interesting enough.

_-Flashback_ at lunchtime _Cafeteria-_

_Mikan and Hotaru decided to go to the cafeteria together since it had been a long time since the last time they met. As they were making their way towards the cafeteria, the male population seemed to be increasing dramatically at the hallway towards the cafeteria. They were doing many things to achieve her attention. For example, winking and giving out their best flirting smile towards her, though every single attempt only had themselves shot by Hotaru's Baka gun._

_-Before heading to the cafeteria-_

_As they were heading towards the cafeteria for lunch, Mikan stopped and turned towards Hotaru._

"_Um, Hotaru, would you help me keep the guys away from me, please? It feels weird and __awkward having people stare at me like that…" Mikan pleaded. The only reply that she received from Hotaru was only the Hotaru-like-replies she would usually give out._

"_Why should I?" she said, before she continued with a whisper, "Can't you just use your alices against them? Why should I waste so much of my energy doing things for you?" _

_Mikan pouted at this reply, though, she was expecting it either way, so, she replied "MOU, HOTARU, you meanie. You should do it because I'm your best friend AND WHAT THE HELL DO YOU MEAN THAT YOU WOULD BE WASTING SO MUCH ENERGY?! HOW THE HELL CAN YOU WASTE SO MUCH ENERGY ON PULLING A DAMN TRIGGER ON THAT BAKA GUN OF YOURS?! YOU SHOT 28 AT ME THIS MORNING WITH NO PROBLEM!" _

_The only thing Hotaru did was just stand there, staring at her, expecting some better reason. Knowing that she wouldn't have been able to win with reasons, she also prepared a deal._

"_Alright then, Hotaru, how about if you help me, then I'll pay you" Mikan said slyly. Hotaru reacted almost immediately._

"_How much?"_

"_Hmm… Let me see… Um…"_

"_Shut your yap and just think, then give me a straight answer"_

"_Mou, fine how about 600 rabbits?"_

"_More"_

"_700?"_

"_Keep talking"_

"_MOU, HOTARU! Fine, then" Mikan grumbled. "Last one – 800 rabbits, deal?" Mikan said impatiently as she took out the money from her wallet whilst looking at Hotaru stare at the money in her hand before snatching it from her hand altogether._

"_Glad to be doing business with you" she replied whilst counting the money to make sure that the correct amount was there before putting it away. "Let's go, I'm hungry" said Hotaru turning to leave, only to be stopped by Mikan again. "This better be important Mikan, or else you're going to find yourself will a hell lot more to pay than just 800 rabbits"._

"_Eh, Hotaru, don't be mean I was just going to say that…" she then leaned over to Hotaru's ear to continue "that I'll pay another 800 rabbits after the job is done" then, she leaned away then skipped out the door shouting that she was hungry, leaving Hotaru to trail behind. _

'_This is going to be one heck of a trip to the cafeteria…' she thought.' Let's see if I can beat the record of hitting people in a short period of time. Beating the record of 150 people, here I come.' With that, she got her Baka gun ready to shoot._

_-End of flashback of for heading out to the cafeteria and now back to normal flashback-_

_When they finally arrived at the cafeteria, the record was beaten. Hotaru Imai had shot over 270 people. They then made their way to the special star table. Mikan silently gave the money to Hotaru, who more than gladly took it. Mikan was having a hard time concentrating where she was heading so she had to follow Hotaru. The feeling of uneasiness within her grew as she made her way to the robot to have it check off her name and let her pass. _

_Ever since they entered the cafeteria everyone in the damn cafeteria stopped what they were doing and was staring at them, or, to be more specific, _her_. With everyone watching her every move, she felt uneasy. _Very_ uneasy._

_Later, the robot came up to the table and gave them their menu. Whilst reading the menu, Mikan saw from the corner of her eye, her fellow classmate, Kokoro Yome starting to lose himself looking as if he was about to pass out. Though she had to admit, he was hiding it pretty well. However, she felt the need to do something, but if she did, it would cause more of an uproar. _

_'What should I do? If I go over there, Hyuuga would just start wondering about me even more' she thought, knowing the raven-haired boy was somewhere in the cafeteria – hidden out of sight. A few minutes after, the food was brought to the table. In the end, she decided she had to cause Yome a bit more pain and then make it feel better later._

_Then, she excused herself to Hotaru who merely nodded and continued eating her crab brains. As quickly as she dared to go without causing more uproar than there already that was created the second she stood up from her chair, Mikan made her way to where Kokoro was sitting, noting that the whole cafeteria was staring at her. She was also able to feel that glare of Natsume Hyuuga. Why he was glaring at her, she couldn't care less at the moment. As soon as she reached the table, she spoke, looking at Kokoro._

"_Hello, I'm Mikan 17 years old. We have class together" she said_

_Yome Kokoro was shocked to be spoken to go by the gossip of the school. He was also trying his hardest not to blank out right on the spot, whilst Mikan was inwardly begging him to hurry up and answer her so that she could ask him to move to her table, in order to help his headache. _

"_Hello, I'm Kokoro Yome, 17 years old. But, uh, please, call me Koko"._

"_Alright then, Koko it is. Would you and your friends like to move over to my table? You seem to be a bit cramped over here" she asked, hoping for him to hurry up since he was looking worse by the second. After a short moment, she finally received an answer._

"_Yes, of course, thank you" was all she needed and she got it, she then moved aside for them to walk to her table, she then walked beside Koko and in a voice loud enough for him to hear, but low enough for others not even a hand length away from them could hear _

"_It's ok Koko, your headache should be gone soon, just, when you reach my table, sit next to me. And question anything after". Koko would only nod the record due to his headache._

_When they reached the table, Koko did as he was told, he sat beside Mikan and soon, his headache went away, as well as all the thoughts. He could help but shout out…_

"_OH SHIT!" making the whole cafeteria start to wonder more and stare more. For that, he then received a glare from Hotaru, making him __realise__ what he just did. "Oh…mother…"_

_BAKA, BAKA_

_Yes, Kokoro Yome was shot by Hotaru's Baka gun._

_Then, the bell rang for class…_

-End of flash back-

"MIKAN" someone yelled, she quickly snapped out of it to see her teacher with a fuming face and she realised he had probably been calling her for the past 5 minutes.

"Um, yes sensei?"

"Finally" the teacher muttered in exasperation. "Now, answer this question about Shakespeare…"

Oh boy… could this school get any better? Actually it did. Having Natsume Hyuuga stare at you every now and then probably wasn't so bad. But it is annoying when you know what he's thinking and planning to do next…

'Oh Hyuuga… you're really asking for it aren't you' she thought before preparing to answer what the teacher asked her.

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><p>HELLO! I hope this chapter made sense (:<p>

Please REVIEWIOOS~


	3. One hell of a shopping trip

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

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><p>After school finished, students either went back to their dorms, went home or went to central town. For Mikan, she was dragged into the idea of going to central town. So, she had to ask Natsume Hyuuga to go with her, though, she had to find him first. She went into their classroom, the playgrounds, the cafeteria, asked people where they thought Hyuuga might be, and finally, she found him, at a Sakura tree. Now, she just had to ask him…<p>

"No" was his answer

"Aw! Come on! Please!"

"Go away"

"PLEASE!" she started to jump up and down, then she continued, "And don't you ever talk to anyone with more than 2 words? Ever?" she asked. Natsume gave out a sigh, and then gave out a smirk.

"NO WAY, POLKA"

"WHY? PL- eh? Polka?" She stared at Hyuuga in wonder 'what on earth is he going on abo-'

"AHHHHK! YOU DAMNED PERVERT! YOU MONSTER!" she screamed. Hyuuga just sat there continuing to read his manga, though, with a smirk on his face.

"Your fault for jumping up and down" he said coolly, only to realize he just started an argument, a noisy one.

"WELL, YOU CHOSE TO PEEK AT IT!"

"Just quiet down, will ya!" he replied, starting to get annoyed.

"NO, unless you come along with me" she stated. You don't be a best friend of a blackmailer without picking up a few things. Hyuuga just glowered before giving out a 'Hn' indicating that he'll go only if she just shuts her yap.

"YAY! Thank you Hyuuga-kun!" With that, she gave him a hug unconsciously, making the boy blush; luckily his bangs covered his face.

"Mind letting go, Polka?" he replied as coldly as he could, which didn't work out so well.

"Oh, sorry, Hyuuga-kun, meet you at the bus stop, then" quickly letting go, and then standing up to head to her dorm to get ready only to be stopped by his voice.

"Oi, Polka, stop calling me 'Hyuuga-kun', call me Natsume" he told her. She simply smiled, and then quickly ran off to get ready or else she would be late.

When she finally left, Natsume slumped against the trunk of the tree. 'Damn' he thought 'what the hell just happened?' Little did our Natsume know that his feelings were only developing.

Mikan quickly arrived at her dorm, quickly dressing up into her clothes, grabbing her purse, then ran to the bus stop where her and her new friends, Anna, Nonoko, Sumire, Yuu, Ruka, Mochu and Natsume were meeting. In the end, she wore a plain v-neck plain grey t-shirt, faded blue jeans that stop at her knees, and a black ¾ sleeve jacket and she wore black ballet flats. As plain as her clothes were, she still looked amazing. 'Simply amazing' is what she often received as she quickly made her way to the bus stop from people who saw her go past. When she reached the bus stop, only the boys and Hotaru had arrived. It seemed like she was early after all. When the boys saw her, they blushed, they were also amazed by what she was wearing, she wasn't wearing any make-up and her clothes were plain and simple, her hair was tied up in her usual ponytail, and she still managed to look simply gorgeous. They had a quiet chat for a bit, then when everyone arrived, so did the bus. They all hopped on, all seated with their partners. It was a silent trip except with the whispers of Anna, Sumire and Nonoko talking about what they plan to buy.

When they reached Central Town, they decided to take turns for which shop they wanted to go to. So let the travels begin! Ladies first~(much to the 'gentleman's' misery). Anna was up first to choose, she chose a clothing store called 'Chicabooti'. Everyone went it. Yes, everyone, even Natsume Hyuuga, though only because Ruka was dragged in, by Anna, so he dragged in Natsume, too. They spent in there for about 30minutes, it was then Nonoko's turn to choose, she chose a clothing store as well, named 'Valley Girl' so they all went there and all went in again, and spent their time in there for about 30 minutes as well. So far, the boys didn't think it was too bad, I mean, they were only one shop… Until they reached Sumire… it was her turn. Anyone who knew her, knew how she shopped. When she went shopping she likes it big, so, she chose…*drum roll* …

"MY CHOICE IS MYER!" exclaimed Sumire. The girls merrily chuckled whilst the boys felt like hell. Mochu, Koko and Ruka exclaimed "NO! WHAT THE HELL! THAT'S EXTREEEMEE CHEAT! MYER'S GOT LEVELS! NOO!"

"Live through it boys" was all Sumire said before walking off to the direction of 'Myer' with her arms linked with Anna and Nonoko and Hotaru trailing behind them. Mikan just stood next to the 3 boys with Natsume, watching them sulk before she bent down to their level (they were crouching down on the ground) and patted them on the head, making them look at her, before she spoke.

"It's alright, it should be over soon, then it will be your turn to choose which store to go to, so, try to live it through, ok? Plus, Myer's got a few things for you guys. The only thing you've got to live through is the amount of mannequins they place around the fashion level, and the perfume sections. Heads up, the perfume sections have extremely strong smells- makes you sneeze a lot too, if you're not use to it much". With that, she headed off with her friends. Leaving Natsume and the 3 boys to watch her retreating figure. 'Oh boy, this sure is one screwed up day for us' they all thought.

After an hour and a half of hell in Myer, it was finally Mikan's turn. All boys were worried wondering what she was going to choose. Stupid as he is, Koko asked "are you going to choose the same as Sumire? Like, David Jones?" which earned him an elbowed from both Ruka and Mochu and a glare from Natsume. Though, much to their surprise, Mikan just chuckled and ask in return, "why Koko? Do you want me to choose that shop? I mean, I wouldn't mind, mayb-"

"NO!" cried out Ruka, Mochu and Koko at the same time, in panic. Mikan then assured them it was alright.

"Haha, guys, it's cool, and anyway, I just want to head to the book store. There have been a few books I've been meaning to buy for a while now. Let's go" Mikan then headed off with Hotaru and the guys following, with the rest of the girls whining about her choice of her choice of store whilst the guys couldn't be more than delighted, even though Mikan had chosen the book store with 3 levels, though, the guys couldn't be happier.

[Inside the bookstore]

"Damn… this place is huge!" exclaimed Mochu. Mikan just chuckled before announcing she was heading off to look for the books she wanted. Natsume tagged along too. Mikan couldn't help but comment.

"Oh, so you like to follow me, eh, Hyuuga?" Natsume just glowered at her before he replied.

"Whatever, think what you want".

They stopped at the music section; they searched around in there for a bit. Mikan, feeling a bit awkward with the silence, tried to start a conversation.

"Do you play any instruments, Hyuuga?"

"Not if I can help it, and I told you to call me Natsume, did I not?" was all he said, trying his best to concentrate on the book he had in his hands. In the corner of his eye, he saw her give an awkward smile before heading off to the novels section. He just went the complete opposite section to head to the manga section to see if the next book of the series he was reading was released yet.

After an hour, all went to the cash register. Sumire, Anna, Hotaru and Nonoko ended up buying a few things from the books store, though, not surprisingly, Sumire bought fashion magazines, Nonoko bought some books for chemistry, Hotaru bought some books on robots and Anna bought some books about cooking. Though, they were shocked by the amount of books Mikan had in her hands. So, being gentlemen they try to be, they offered to help, though, she declined the offer saying she was fine. Natsume, being who he is, just snatched ¾ of the amount of books she had in her hands. What caught his attention was the price all the books would add up to, so out of curiosity, he asked "Hey, Polka, you know that the amount of books you're going to buy adds up quite a lot, right?"

"Yeah, I know, I check the price before I buy things, Hyuuga, and don't call me that" replied Mikan, though, when she saw the way Hyuuga look at her, she realized what he told her about an hour ago.

"I mean, uh, I always check the prices of the books I buy and make sure I have enough money for all the books, Natsume". With that, he gave a satisfied nod. Not soon after, it was her turn to pay for her books. All books added up over 200 rabbits. All wondered, except Hotaru, how she was going to pay for it, though; Mikan just took out her money from her purse without a care. Noticing the stares she asked what they were looking at.

"Well, where did you get all the rabbits from, Mikan?" asked Koko

"Yeah, speaking of which, I don't think special stars get that many rabbits, do they?" Mochu said, looking at Natsume, who indicated that they don't get that much. Mikan just chuckled and told a lie, hoping no one would know. "Well, since I just came here, and I'm special star, the principal gave me extra, though; my allowance will soon be same as Natsume's- 350 rabbits". Everyone seemed to have believed it, so she said they should probably go grab something to eat. All agreed. Then, all boys rejoiced aloud, except Natsume, that it was finally their turn to choose where to go, all girls except Hotaru, who was already reading her book and Mikan who just merrily chuckled at how happy the boys seemed.

After eating, all boys had their turn in choosing the stores they wanted. Koko was first, he chose a toy store, Mochu then chose music store, and Ruka chose to visit a pet store and finally Natsume chose a book store.

In the end, all bought something. Only to realise that they will soon have to go back soon to buy some more things for an upcoming event that was going to be an event they are to remember.

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><p>This somehow was a longer chapter… I guess shopping is always longer…hmm…<p>

And, thank you, hannah-chanxox for correcting my mistake with the cooking-alice person. I corrected it and…yeah… upload the fixed version (:

Please tell me what I need to fix.

(: (I like smiley faces)

R&R


	4. Her hidden talents, that I now know

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

* * *

><p>The bell had already rang, and 10B was waiting for their homeroom teacher to arrive. Whilst they were waiting, many were talking about the upcoming event that was soon to come, The Masked Ball. Whilst many were thinking of The Masked Ball, others were wondering where Mikan was, she wasn't usually late, she was often one of the earliest to arrive to class, even earlier than Yuu, the class representative. Minutes later, Narumi skipped in with his usual frilly clothes, though, there was something different he had a bigger smile than he usually did.<p>

"Good morning my lovely, beloved students, as you are aware, The Masked Ball is coming up soon, so, pick your partners you're choosing to go wi-" suddenly, Narumi was stopping mid sentence when the window suddenly opened, Natsume stood up to prepare to a 'welcoming gift' for the intruder, only to see Mikan jump into the classroom. Everyone sweat dropped. Everyone, excluding Hotaru, was thinking one thing, 'What the heckie?'. Though, Narumi just continued on as Mikan made her way to her seat. Natsume couldn't help but wonder how or why she jumped in from the window. But then decided to just focus on his manga, though, still listened to Narumi. "Anyway, as I was saying my lovely students, The Ball is coming up and this year, they decided to have a certain person perform!". Hearing this, Mikan stiffened. Natsume noticed, making him wonder even more. A student put up their hand and asked, "Really? Who's performing? Is that person from our class?"

"Yes, she is in our class. And, she will have to perform _no matter what or else lots of people will be disappointed_, she will also be something else for the night, not one of the teachers!", Narumi exclaimed, emphasising the 'no-matter-what-or-else-lots-of-people-will-be-disappointed. Then, lots of students started bombarding him with questions of who it was obviously really eager to know who it was. Narumi just waited for them to quiet down, which they did after a few moments, then, he continued on.

"Well, my dear students, you really what to know, don't you? Well, I'm sorry, but you'll have to find out on the day! Now, it's a self-study period!" he said, about to take off but then he stopped then turned to the class again, "oh, and Mikan-chan, would you please m-m-meet m-me…" Narumi suddenly stuttered, all heads turned to Mikan, who was glaring at Narumi, a glare possible to compete with Natsume's, '"Uh, please meet me at the teacher's lounge room please, 5 minutes!" with that, he skipped away for his life.

Mikan let out a sigh, also muttering something along the lines of 'swear for revenge', 'Narumi-sensei', 'kill' and 'better watch it', then stood up from her seat, then started towards the teacher's lounge room, but before she could, a voice stopped her, the voice that belonging to not other than Natsume Hyuuga.

"Oi, why were you late for class today? And why the hell did you enter the classroom through the window?". The class was shocked, THE Natsume Hyuuga asking girl why she was late to class? That's something new, very new.

"Why do you want to know?" she retorted back.

Natsume grunted at her reply before answering back, "I was just asking, let's go" with that, he stood up from his chair, took Mikan's hand and they both started to the teacher's lounge room, leaving very confused students in the class.

"HEY! Why are you going, too?" Mikan hastily asked. "Can't I escort you without you asking so many questions?" Natsume snapped back, patience running thin. Mikan just smiled, knowing he was trying his best to be kind. The rest of the trip was silent, when they finally reached the teacher's faculty room; Natsume went to head to the Sakura tree for a little nap time. Leaving Mikan to deal with whatever it was, he didn't seem to think would be a good idea to know.

[The teacher's lounge room]

As Mikan entered, all heads turned towards her, staring at her for a while before turning back to their own business. Narumi came up and told her to sit down, then, he was about to make his requests (note: request**s**) Mikan butted in, "No. Way". Narumi attempted doing the puppy dog eye, unfortunately for him, it didn't work out so well, making him receive one comment from Mikan, " Stop it, your eyes will pop out of their sockets from what you're doing. What are you doing anyway?". Narumi fell anime-style from this comment. Picking himself up, he starting waving his arms up and down complaining how his puppy dog eyes didn't work, making Mikan scoff. "Seriously? Puppy dog eyes? HAH!" Narumi just faked a tear before straightening up again and went back to what her wanted her to come to the lounge room in the first place.

[After the 'little talk' with Narumi-sensei]

Natsume was outside, waiting for Mikan to come out. He could hear her shouts and screams from inside, obviously disagreeing with something, he couldn't really make out what it was. Why? The room was meant to be **soundproof**, but her shouts and screams seemed to be quite useless since sound went pass the wall anyway (can that even happen? Oh well, my story. *insert smiley face*). Natsume just smirked at her as she went out, causing her to let out a groan in annoyance and roll her eyes at him, knowing her heard her muffled screams and shouts. Though, as much as she wanted to ignore it, Natsume didn't seem to want to set it aside, obviously amused by whatever it was that she didn't want to do but had to in the end.

"So… what did Narumi want you for?" he asked mockingly, not know what he was going to receive, very soon if he didn't shut his yap.

"Nothing" was the only reply he received from Mikan. Getting more curious, he decided to provoke her even more.

"Really? Then what was all the screaming and shouting then?"

"Tell me, exactly _why_ were you outside the teacher's lounge for anyway?"

"Why? Couldn't I wait for the ever-so-loud-mouthed girl who wears polka-dot printed panties?", that was the last straw, talking aloud about her underwear so freely was not acceptable. "THAT'S IT! HYUUGA NATSUME YOU ARE GOING TO GET IT!" With that, she ran after him, trying to catch him. They chased each other until it the bell rang for their next class, quickly forgetting her present mission to kill Natsume, she looked at her watch, giving out a squeak saying they'll be late for class. She quickly seized Natsume's hand and quickly ran to their classroom. While they were running to class, actually, scratch that, Mikan was running while Natsume was being dragged along, Natsume was thinking how lucky he was that no one was around to see their chasing or else his reputation would have been screwed.

'Damn, I'm starting to talk more to her now, next thing I know, I'm going to pour out my problems to her' he thought.

When they finally reached their next class, Mikan slammed the door open searching around the classroom to see if the teacher had arrived yet, all heads- most heads- turned towards her, wondering why she was with Natsume, or, more like, wondering why she was hold his hand.

"Mikan-chan", Mikan turned around to see Nonoko giving her a curious towards Mikan, or so Mikan thought, she was actually staring at Mikan and Natsume's hand.

"Yes, Nonoko? What is it?", before Nonoko could reply, she was cut off my Koko's bluntness.

"Why are you holding hands with Natsume?", everyone sweat dropped at the boy's braveness of allowing the class, or building, to go deaf. Mikan just remained clueless for a while until Natsume spoke.

"Mind letting go, strawberries?" Mikan turned around to face him before looking towards where he was looking at, as well as most of the class. Their hands.

"Oh, I forgot, sorry" she said. Natsume then counted in his mind while staring at her expectantly, waiting for her to realise…

5…

4…

3…

2…

1…

"NATSUME, YOU DAMN PERVERT!" Everyone, but Natsume since he was prepared and Hotaru since she had her earmuffs on the whole time, covered their ears from the sudden scream. Sadly for the teacher today, he had no idea about the new girl, so didn't prepare for any sudden screams or shouts. Mikan had screamed as soon as the science teacher walked into the classroom, causing him to have temporary deafness. As well as being scared of the class, he quickly ran out shouting it was a free period. "Damn" they heard two familiar voices say at the same time, turning towards they heard it was Mikan and Natsume.

"I ran all the way here for nothing then!"

"I was dragged all the way here for nothing, then?"

They had both continued at the same time. Their thoughts too, 'damn, and I was having a pretty good time out there, too'. In the corner off his eye, Natsume saw Koko raise a sly eyebrow, obviously knowing what they were doing before they stormed into the class. 'Tell anyone, Koko, and I will personally see it that your life is a living hell, I'll make sure of it, too' he thought threateningly, and demonstrating a fireball near Koko for only him to see. Koko nervously nodded before snapping his friend out of drooling over Mikan.

"By the way, Mikan. What did Narumi-sensei want to see you about?" Sumire asked Mikan curiously. In the corner eye, she saw Natsume lifted his brow in amusement, waiting to hear what she was going to reply to her friend.

"Well, Sumire…" she then leaned closer to Sumire and added in a whisper low enough not to allow Natsume to hear.

"It's secret, okay? No more questions. But one clue, involves the Ball. Don't tell anyone."

Then, she winked before announcing that she was going to her dorm to rest, might as well take advantage of the time given, right? Then, headed towards her dorm, leaving behind an irritated raven-haired boy. 'Damn little girl' he thought 'you're too good' then, he gave out a smirk before leaving the room himself 'but you sure as hell are interesting'.

Natsume was heading to Mikan's room which was next to his down the hall. He stood in front of her door, about to knock when he heard her ranting, wanting to hear more, he stopped himself from knocking, leaning against the door frame to listen more.

"Damn Narumi-sensei! Why couldn't he choose someone else? WHY ME? WHA! I hate him!" She began to punch and kick and march around the room before stopping and said, "oh well, might as well get started", cause Natsume to sweat drop by her sudden mood change.

'Probably mood swings' he thought, having a certain idea of what happens when women have… anyway, he went back to listening to her. He heard her pick up something, then realising it was a guitar as she strum the guitar. 'I didn't know she could play the guitar… then again… I don't know anything about her… apart from her choice of underwear…' he smirked at his last thought, then continued to listen.

"Hmm… What should I play? I song that makes sense in life… a song for the couples... or an encouragement song… and…hmm… what was the last one? Oh well, just get started…" Mikan mumbled.

She began to think… she went over to the piano and pressed a few keys, "Damn, she plays piano too?"

Mikan began to play part of Chopin "Fantasie" Impromptu, Op. 66,

'And she sure as hell plays well, too' he continued as he heard her continue a bit more. After a while, she stopped, what let out a satisfied 'ah!', obviously finding the answer to whatever problem it was she was finding.

"I shall play… 'Haunted'… it reflects a bit on my life… I guess…" with that, she picked up her guitar, strummed it a couple of times before playing and she began…to sing?

_You and I walk a fragile line  
>I have known it all this time<br>But, I never thought I'd live to see it break  
>It's getting dark and its all too quiet<br>And I can't trust anything now  
>And it's coming over you like it's all a big mistake<em>

'Wow, her voice is amazing' thought Natsume, 'she said it reflects on her life… I wonder what she means?' then, she continued listening to her sing.

_Oh, holding my breath  
>Oh, I'm lose you again<br>Some things made your eyes go cold_

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this<em>  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>You're all I wanted<em>

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this<em>

_I thought I had you figured out  
>Can't breathe when I know you're gone<br>Can't turn back now  
>I'm haunted<em>

_Sit there and watch you walk away_  
><em>From everything we had<em>  
><em>But, I still mean every word I said to you<em>  
><em>He will try to take away my pain<em>  
><em>And he just might make me smile<em>  
><em>But, the whole time I'm wishing he was you instead<em>

'Now, I seriously wonder who the hell she's talking about, I am so going to make her talk sooner or later' he thought 'but how? She'll know that I was listening… who cares' he thought 'wait, what the hell? What happened to a man's pride? Tch', then continued listening.

_Oh, holding my breath  
>Whoa, I'll see you again<br>Something keeps me holding on and I think_

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this<em>  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>You're all I wanted<em>

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this ?<em>

_I thought I had you figured out  
>Can't breathe when I know you're gone<br>Can't turn back now  
>I'm haunted<em>

_I know, I know_  
><em>I just know<em>  
><em>You're not gone<em>  
><em>Come on, you can't be gone<em>  
><em>No<em>

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this<em>  
><em>I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Something's gone terribly wrong<em>  
><em>Won't finish what you started<em>

_Come on, come on_  
><em>Don't leave me like this ?I thought I had you figured out<em>  
><em>Can't breathe when I know you're gone<em>  
><em>Can't go back<em>  
><em>I'm haunted<em>

_You and I walk a fragile line_  
><em>I have known it all this time<em>  
><em>But, I never thought I'd see it break<em>  
><em>Never thought I'd see it<em>

After she finished she gave out a satisfied sigh, then it was silent for a while until she started shouting again.

"AH! NARUMI-SENNEEEEEEEEEEIII!" she screamed, the whole campus heard her, and so, of course Narumi too, he smiled cheekily to himself.

"Oh, Narumi… You're good at the job" he praised himself.

Hearing her scream out like that, he couldn't help but enter, before he realised what he had done, he tried to get out, only it was too late, he was spotted by Mikan already, who was pacing back and forth with a frown on her face.

"Why the face?" he asked her. She looked at Natsume for a while, as if deciding to answer him or not.

In the end, she answered him, "I'll tell you, but shut your yap about it, alright?"

"Sure, sure"

"Pinkie promise, then" Natsume sighed before holding up his pinkie and joining it with hers.

"There, you happy now?" he asked. Mikan responded with a nod.

"Then start talking, what is it?" Natsume asked 'wow, how ironic, I would usually tell her to shut her mouth… I'm losing my cool'

"Alright, relax, I'm talking" Natsume glared at her, making her start talking immediately.

"Alright, so here's the thing, the thing Narumi asked me to go to the teacher's lounge for is to… be the main… uh … stage… go on stage person, by all means, MC and performing… sadly and-"

"Wait, you've along been here for not long, how the hell can you MC the masked ball?" Natsume asked butting in. It was Mikan's turn to glare, after a while of glaring, she just merrily chuckled and said only one thing,

"Natsume, you would be surprise of what I know" with a smirk. She then continued on. "Anyway, yeah, I have to, mainly perform a song on life, and one for partners to dance with, or, some random thing like that I guess, and… now that I figured it out, Narumi ALSO wanted me to dance… dance… with a partner… doing… partner dancing", Natsume cocked an eyebrow, though, questioningly. "Well, like… tango… I guess…"

"Seriously? Is that all you need? A partner?" Natsume asked, cocked an eyebrow, this time, arrogantly

* * *

><p>Heehee, Hello! School's started so, probably later updates. Though, I'll try to update weekly!<p>

R&R (:

[youtube]

.com/watch?v=tvm2ZsRv3C8&feature=related

^ video of the song Mikan played on piano.

The song Mikan sang with the guitar was 'Haunted' by Taylor Swift. Next chapter, I feel like making Natsume do a little dancie dancing! Ne?

Tee hee! (:


	5. Knowing more about you

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

* * *

><p>~<em>Previously<em>~ "_Seriously? Is that all you need? A partner?" Natsume asked, cocked an eyebrow, this time, arrogantly_

~_Continuing with the story_~

Mikan popped a vein while she went towards the bed, Natsume following her and joined her to sit with her on the bed. "Shut up" she retorted back, "it's not easy to find someone who can partner dancing, and agree to dance with you!"

Natsume cocked eyebrow, 'does this girl not know any guy would dance with her, any day? Except me, of course. Wait, why the hell does that sound like bullshit to me?' he thought.

"Ruka would be alright, but he probably would just decline the offer, Koko and Mochu…" Mikan shuddered before continuing. "I don't even want to think about it. The only person left is Yuu, and he's going to be too busy. So… oh, geez", she said staring off into space. The whole time she was listening names, Natsume popped a vein, everytime she said a name that wasn't his. Annoyed, he grabbed her iPod from her desk and started going through her list of songs.

"Hey! What are you doing?" Mikan exclaimed, annoyed by the fact that Natsume had just snatched her iPod without permission. She got even more annoyed when he replied her with silence and just continued looking through her songs. 'Damn, this girl has too many songs for my liking at the moment' he thought.

Finally, found a song and played it, then quickly pulled Mikan up from the bed and waited for the right time to dance, with Mikan automatically following.

'What the hell?' she thought, he knows this dance, eh?

"What the hell? How…?" she asked out. Natsume remained silent for a while then answered with, "Well, you're not the only one who knows this dance, and I guess I've got a thing for dancing" he added arrogantly. Mikan then leaned closer to his face and whispered, "Well then, I guess we're both on the same page then" with a genuine smile.

They continued dancing, with Mikan still in shock, Natsume Hyuuga was actually dancing. He sure as hell doesn't seem like the people who would like to dance let alone know and actually allow someone to dance with him.

As they were quietly dancing, they were both trying to be the better dancer, though, unfortunately for them, the dance they were doing didn't really help and the only thing they could do is dance freely and express emotion into their dancing. A few moments after dancing both gave a smirk before hearing footsteps coming their way and soft murmurs of voices, voices belonging to their friends. Mikan silently panicked before getting an idea. She ushered one word to Natsume hoping he would understand. His door was being knocked at right about now and if he didn't answer, others would wonder.

"Balcony" she whispered. Natsume gave a nod before giving a nod and headed for the balcony. Before jumping off, he looked back to see Mikan looking at him, giving a small smile and mouthed the word "go, quickly." With that, he jumped off. As soon as he jumped off, Mikan's door was knocked. Mikan quickly looked back at her room making sure everything was ordinary. She turned off her iPod and quickly answered the door.

When she opened the door she was greeted by her friends and with four pieces of information from Hotaru, "Central town. Get partner. Go get ready. Meet bus stop." Mikan looked at her friend blankly as she walked away. When she snapped out of it, she quickly ran after then, calling out, "WAIT! What? Why?"

"We're going shopping for our dresses and suits for the Masked Ball, Mikan-chan!" Anna exclaimed excitedly. Mikan looked at them dumbfounded, "What? Why? It's till next month! And how did Hotaru agree to this anyway?" she exclaimed. They had already reached Natsume's room, where he was glaring the boys in front of him, namely, Koko, Mochu, Ruka and Yuu sweat nervously. Natsume nodded at her, acknowledging her coming. Her friends then turned around and Sumire answered her.

"Yes, indeed, Mikan" Sumire started off, "but if we go later, lots of people will be buzzing around and all the good dresses that we want shall be gone and there would probably be troubles with fighting for dresses, that's how Hotaru agreed to come along. So, we're going early"

"And what about class?" Mikan asked. Hotaru answered her this time, "all our teachers were called to a meeting, and therefore, our classes are cancelled. Hurry up and get ready, we're going after we pick up two more people." This caught Mikan's attention.

"Two more people? Who?" she asked.

"Aoi Hyuuga, Natsume's younger sister, fire alice and Youichi Hijiri, same class as her, spirit alice, both 11 years old". Mikan only nodded before realising something.

"Wait, Natsume has a sister?" she exclaimed. Everyone nodded. "Didn't you know, Mikan?" Ruka asked. Mikan just stared at Ruka for a while, expecting him to figure out the answer for himself. Ruka the realised that no ever mentioned it to her, and he let out a small "oh…" then backed off at the back of the group. Then, Mochu spoke up, "Come on people, let's move some ass and get this hell over with!" earning a shot from Hotaru's gun.

After Mochu recovered, the girls and boys, apart from Natsume and Mikan, then headed off to the Elementary section to pick up Aoi and Youichi. Mikan then quickly headed back to her room to change into something more comfortable. When she was done, she was wearing a colourful summer dress with white heels, since she was going shopping for a dress. She quickly brushed her hair, grabbed her purse, she was about to dash for it when she saw Natsume waiting outside her door. He looked at her for a moment then spoke, "come on, let's go". With that, they headed off to meet the rest of the group at the bus stop.

They walked in silence for a while until Mikan broke it, "how did you learn to dance?" She asked.

"Do you really want to know?" he asked giving her a quick glance before looking back in front of him. When Mikan was about to answer, he quickly cut her off, "actually, don't bother answering that. I'll just tell you". Mikan unconsciously walked faster to keep up with him and was also in shock that he actually agreed to answer her question. 'Damn, his legs are too damn long...Can't keep up' she thought as well. She wasn't exactly short, or too tall, but she was tall. She didn't like people looking down on her that much. 'WHY THE HELL DOES HE HAVE TO BE SO TALL FOR?' she shouted in her head. She dismissed the thought, knowing how stupid it is. She then looked at him, urging him to go on and answer her question.

"Hn, well… let's just say that my mother and sister really like dancing. We use to go out about every weekend to dinner then go on the dance floor to dance. I hated every single day of it, it annoyed me. I hated dancing back then, and I still do, just not as much anymore, I guess. My dad wasn't much of a fan of it either" he said with a smirk.

Mikan gave out a giggle, "Father like son, mother like daughter?" she asked mockingly.

"I guess so" he said, giving her a smirk, then continued, "though, after a couple of persuasions, my dad gave in and ended up dancing and found it wasn't as bad as he thought. So, in the end, it was the rest of my family against me. So, in the end, I just gave in a bit. Then I started to learn other dances due to curiosity. I think… now that I think about it, I don't know why I did…" he thought aloud, trailing off before concentrating ahead to where they were walking.

After hearing Natsume talk a hell lot more than he usually did, she felt somewhat happy, very happy, that he was opening up to her. They walked for a while in silence when Mikan talked about what the rest of the group were probably going to wear when she asked him mockingly, "So, do you think you could teach me a few dances?".

"Don't push it, little girl" he replied back firmly, making Mikan pout, though, she smiled again when she remembered Natsume opening up to her just a moment ago.

* * *

><p>When they arrived at the bus stop, everyone was already there, their friends were next to the bus stop sign, when the saw Natsume and Mikan arrive, they turned around and Anna and Nonoko gave them a wave, Mikan waved back before looking for certain unfamiliar faces. There, she had spotted them, two 11 year old kids sitting on the bench. The girl was sitting peacefully, swinging her legs back and forth whilst the boy was just starring ahead, bored and not caring a thing that was around him. Though, he looked Mikan and Natsume's way when he saw them approach. Both of the them stood up, the girl, Mikan, who assumed it was Aoi, gave a bow while the boy, Mikan assuming it was Youichi, gave them a nod in acknowledgement. When Mikan approached them, she introduced herself.<p>

"Hello, I'm Mikan, 17 years old, same class as Natsume" she said with a bright smile. Aoi returned a smile, and then introduced herself as well.

"Hello, I'm Hyuuga Aoi, 11 years old, Natsume's younger sister" Mikan smile at her, then, Aoi continued on, "and this is Hijiri Youichi, same age, same class as me." Mikan gave him a warm smile and the boy nodded at her again in return then added, "call me Youichi" Mikan gave him a small nod. After that, Mikan spoke, "please to meet you Aoi and Youichi." Then,she focused on Aoi Hyuuga. She had the same raven hair and crimson eyes as her brother, though, her attitude was completely different. The way she looks and talks to people was different. It was polite.

"Aoi, you seem to pick up a few features from your brother, you're such a beautiful looking girl!" she exclaimed, at the same time cursing her weakness of not being able to shut the hell up. Aoi blushed at the compliment and stuttered a thank you while the two boys scoffed. "Of course she would, got the looks from me" Natsume said arrogantly. Mikan playfully slapped him on the arm, "you and your pride!" she cried. Aoi just walked away to the other group. They continued to argue and mock each other, when a voice interrupted them. "Otou-san…" Natsume looked at the owner of the voice. 'Otou-san?' Mikan wondered, also looking at the owner of the voice, only to be shocked.

Natsume walked up to the owner at ruffled his hair. "Hey, Youichi. How have you been, I haven't seen you in a while."

"I've been alright. Still get annoyed with those girls though" he replied with his arms crossed, puffed. Natsume gave a warm chuckle, making Mikan go into daze. 'He look like such a sweet heart right now…Ew… I'm not use to it' she thought, shuddering.

Natsume caught her looking and gave her a questioning look, she shook her head and answered, "nothing much. It's just that I'm not use to this scenery of you" she smiled "you look so caring and nice…" Natsume lifted an eyebrow.

"Oh really?" he asked arrogantly with a smirk making Mikan pop a vein.

"What are you smirking about?" Mikan cried out while waving her arms up and down. "Oh, nothing much, just, nice to know that you like observing me so much." Mikan playfully slapped him on the arm.

"Oh, shut up!" she said crossing her arms across her chest. While they continued bickering away, Youichi stared at them, observing Mikan, how she looked and talked to Natsume and how Natsume was much easier going and calmer around her. She also had a smile that could warm the block of ice within you, which is what's clearly happening to his Otou-san. Then, suddenly, he blurted out, "Okaa-san". Both stopped arguing and turned towards Youichi, wide-eyed, and looked at him questioningly. Youichi merrily pointed to Natsume, "Otou-san", then to Mikan, "Okaa-san". Natsume just smirked inwardly while Mikan just continued to stare until she let out a confused "eh?" then she pointed to herself.

"What? why me? I mean, I don't have a problem with anything, but, what? Okaa…?"

"I like you, I like your smile. You're not a slut-"

Mikan butted in with, "Youichi, language." Youichi nodded, though smiled brightly inside. 'Just like anyone who actually cares would say' he thought. "Alright. You're not like those girls continuously trying to flirt with Otou-san and clinging onto his arm. You have a nice smile, a smile I want a mother to have. And just about 10 seconds ago you told me to watch my language, too… Plus… I don't have an Okaa-san yet…"

Mikan couldn't help but smile brightly at the young boy, after hearing what he said. "Thank you, Youichi", she said, leaning down to give him a hug.

"Welcome to the family then… 'Okaa-san'" Natsume welcomed, "you're married to a good looking guy." He earned a playful glare from Mikan and a slap on the arm. And they started arguing again. Youichi let out a small smile, Mikan and Natsume noticed and both smile inwardly. Then, unnoticed by them, the bus arrived.

"HEY! Don't want to ruin the moment, but the bus is here!" Aoi called out. All three nodded and headed towards her and hopped onto the bus, Aoi for a four-seat, she sat next to the window with Mikan seated next to her and Youichi between Mikan and Natsume.

* * *

><p>Within the bus ride, Aoi and Mikan talked about the Masked Ball and what dress they were aiming for. "What dress do you want Aoi?" Mikan asked.<p>

"Well, I'm not sure… though, I think I'll just get a flowing knee length dress." Mikan gave a nod. "What about you, Mikan?"

"I'm not too sure… I mainly want a floor length dress… most preferably white…" she replied trailing off. Unknown to her, Natsume was paying attention to what dress she wanted, 'so, she wants that dress huh… I think I saw that kind of dress at a store somewhere… I guess it will be my present to her'.

"You know you're going to need more than just that 1 dress, right? And Koko, read my mind and prepare to be turned into ashes" he said calmly, demonstrating a fire ball in his hand carelessly.

"Yes, I know. I need… what? Probably another 3 or 4 dresses… how long does the Ball go for?"

"Starts around 4, it ends earlier for them, around 8" he said pointing to Aoi and Youichi, "and ends later for us. It ends around half past 11"

"Ah… then… I'll change every now and then… need 2 for the two…uhh…yeah. That's already 3... Oh geez. 3, then... for the change... I already have 1 dress at home that should go well... So, 4 dresses to buy, ne Natsume?" Natsume replied with his usual 'Hn'.

"Ne, Mikan… why do you need more than one dress for" Aoi asked out of curiosity. "Don't worry, Aoi. You'll find out why on the day of the Ball" was all Mikan replied, hoping for Aoi to drop the subject, which she did.

A few minutes later, they arrived at Central Town. The rest of the group parted ways with Natsume and Mikan. "Hmm… you also need a suit for you, right?" Mikan asked out.

"Hn"

"Um… you'll need two, right? You're going to perform with me…right?" she asked more nervously this time, looking at him, who looked back.

"Yes, I'm going to perform with you" h replied with a grin, making the brunette flash a bright smile, making all the males that were walking by stop and stare. Natsume, getting annoyed of the gawking, took Mikan's hand and dragged her away. When he let go, Mikan unconsciously linked her arm around Natsume's arm as they headed to the direction of the store up ahead. Natsume saw how she linked her arm around his and he couldn't help but blush, though, luckily for him, he hid it with his bangs.

'This is going to be one hell of an interesting shopping trip" he thought, smirking inwardly. "Thanks…son…" he thought again as he stared down at the beauty that had her arm linked around his.

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><p>[YouTube]<p>

.com/watch?v=8lpgesehOjI -The dance Mikan and Natsume danced. Song: A postcard to Henry Purcell.

I'm a bit of a Pride and Prejudice movie fan (:

Tell me if I got anything wrong! I'm currently typing down Chapter 6. So, I should have it up soon...(if nothing interferes with my work)

R&R, please!


	6. Surprise, surprise, it's the past

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

* * *

><p>Ellixx- Thank you for telling me! Now, I can start typing his name without staring at the computer screen for half an hour considering whether I should spell it "Mochi" or "Mochu"<p>

The Kookie Monster- I think… I don't know, I stared at your review for about half an hour wondering. I have no idea either… "one has ever been able to dodge one let alone twenty eight" seems right to me…

... (Sorry! I forgot who asked!) - Someone asked me whether Mikan had the nullification alice or some sort. Well, you'll just have to wait. Though … I think it'll be pretty obvious…sooner or later….

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><p>Anyhow! ENJOY! Give me any advice if you want, and correct any mistakes (:<p>

-SIGH-

A heads up, I had links for you to see the dresses, then...I found out I can't put in the full link... HOW MEAN IS THAT? Wait, or can you? Can you tell me how to then? (:

Maybe, try copy and pasting the description of the dresses onto google?

* * *

><p>Natsume and Mikan walked from shop to shop looking for the perfect dresses for Mikan and suitable suits for Natsume. They entered the last store to look for Mikan's dress before taking a break and look for suits for Natsume. As soon as they entered the store, Mikan rushed to a section with dresses that were probably around mid-thigh length and body hugging.<p>

"These are so cute!" she exclaimed and started stacking her arm with dresses before disappearing for the change rooms not bothering about Natsume. Natsume slowly headed to the change room, sweat dropping, and slowly seated himself on the comfortable chair in front of Mikan's change room.

Minutes later, she came out again wearing a white, short strapless dress featuring a bouquet of embroidered floral accents with a touch of sparkle, a wide sash at the empire waist in Aqua with a sweetheart neckline . She twirled around in the dress for a while then said, "Ne, Natsume, just give a thumbs up or down and give a comment why, ne?" Natsume gave a thumbs down, making Mikan give a questioning look. You look like you're in a tutu" was all he said to make her turn straight back in to change into another dress.

She came back moments later in a colorful short semi formal dress. The strapless sweetheart bodice covered in multi-colored sequins has a slim fit with a ruche sash on the empire waist. With a super cute mini skirt with a modern print in bold beautiful colors covered with sheer layers that gave it a full sassy style. She modeled the dress again only to frown when she saw Natsume putting a thumbs down. He rolled his eyes.

"Look in the mirror" he ordered. She did as she was told. "Now, imagine the first place you would probably be going in that thing" he said. She imagined, though still couldn't figure it out, and so looked at him confused only to see him lift an eyebrow. "You look like you're going to get ready to go to the royal wedding."

With that, she raced back into the change rooms to change again.

She came back in a red, short strapless dress with strapless bodice on the dress is accented with a beautiful jeweled notch and gathered fabric across the bust line and the ruche fabric begins at the empire waist and cascades down to a mini layered skirt with a flutter hemline. She modeled the dress again for Natsume only to frown again to see him look at it disapprovingly. "What is wrong with this one, this time?" she cried out. "As much as red may be my favourite colour, it's a tad too red, you'll end up blinding the whole room if you came out wearing that." Mikan looked at herself in the mirror then left out a soft 'oh' then rushed into the change room again.

When Mikan came out and modeled the dress, Natsume quickly approved. Mikan wore a beautiful short dress in majestic purple with a figure flattering silhouette with a pleated bodice and gathered skirt. When Mikan saw the approval, she started jumping up and down. Natsume almost laughed at the way she reacted to his approval. "Why so jumpy, Polka?"

"Shut up, Pervert! It's tiring trying on all those dresses. Having to finally receive an approval is like Christmas!" she exclaimed. Natsume just chuckled at her remark.

"Alright, fine. Just try on the rest that you chose and then we'll get the hell out of here" he replied.

Mikan happily skipped back into the change room and started changing. She came out again, and saw Natsume's face. Disapproved. She didn't even bother to ask and just went back in. By the time they went through half way of all the dresses, Natsume had commented on her dresses saying, "Too frilly", "Too colourful" or "Look at how long/short it is." Honestly, Mikan was thankful for Natsume being there. He gave his honest opinion and warned her about the dress being too short. She smiled at herself before stepping out to model the dress she had on.

Mikan came out looking like an angel. She was wearing a white, long, flowing dress with a cut on her right side of her dress that stopped around her mid-thigh. When she went out, she saw the glow on Natsume's face and instantly knew that the dress was approved. When Natsume gave the final nod, she twirled around happily making Natsume blush. Though he tried to hide it, she still caught him, though decided to leave it… well, at least for now….

"Ok. I think that's alright now, two dresses down, two more to go!" then, she quickly rushed into the change room to change back into her own clothes.

When she went out, she was holding the whole lot of dresses in her arms. She was about to get the two dresses she was to buy when another hand snatched it. She looked at owner of the hand only to find Natsume making his way to the cash register. "Wait! Natsume! What are you doing?"

"What does it look like? I'm paying for it. You put back those dresses in your hand." Was all he replied and turned back to flash her, his famous smirk which making Mikan pout, then smile brightly. "Thank you, Natsume!" She quickly hurried back to put back the dresses correctly into place. When she came back, the dress was paid for and in its bag, she was about to grab it when the bag moved away, preventing her from getting the bag. She looked up at Natsume questioningly. He grinned at her.

"I'll be carrying this" was all he said. Mikan smiled.

"Alright, two down, two to go and… still need to find suits for you. Time for you now. Let's go." Mikan stated, then grabbed Natsume's hand and exited the shop.

They looked around for stores that sold suits in silence. Mikan thought that they would be silent for the rest of the trip when she thought about asking him a few questions. "Hey, Natsume…" she started off, and in the corner off her eye she saw him look at her questioningly. "Can I ask a few questions about you?" Natsume raised an eyebrow at this.

"Um… I mean, just… questions. You don't have to answer all of them. You can turn down some questions if you want…"

"Hn" was all he replied, though, that simple reply made Mikan's face brighten up.

"Ok! Thanks."

"But, why do you even want to ask me questions anyway?" Natsume asked. Mikan wondered off into thought, wondering herself.

"You know…" she started off, "I have absolutely no idea... oh well. Hey, what's your favourite colour?" Natsume thought for a bit before answering.

"Red…"

"Eh? Why?" Natsume turned to stare at her wondering if he should answer her of not. He decided to. "I'm not sure, I guess red is what you get from the fire alice, huh … you're warm… you like those… fire-like colours…" Suddenly, Mikan started giggling. "What's so funny?" Natsume asked, wondering if she felt alright.

"Oh, I'm good… it's just… you're making yourself sound like those werewolves in 'Twilight' With all the 'warm' stuff." Then, she giggled again. "Right… and what's so funny about that?" He asked, lifting an eyebrow.

"Alright… imagine you… with fury ears… luscious, glowing fur… you would look kind of cute, no?" she said in a thinking pose. Natsume was about to snap at her when she butted in that there was a store that sells suits up ahead, so he just dismissed it… for now.

_~An hour later~_

After an hour of searching for suits for Natsume, they came out of a shop two bags, one holding each suit. The one that was for Natsume to wear for the night was mixed together with a black coat, vest and pants and white dress shirt with a red tie, and the other one was for his performance with Mikan. It was the same as the black one, only opposite colour. So, it was a white coat, vest, and pants and a black dress shirt, though, the tie was still the same colour, red.

Natsume went through hell as Mikan continued to comment on every single suit, the only thing she didn't bother commenting on was the tie. After knowing his favourite colour, she had quickly gone to the rack of ties and took out two red ties and grinned stupidly at him, holding up the ties then grabbed his hand and dragged him to the suits.

Natsume let out a small sigh. They had also been able to buy the last dress for Mikan. It was white, long and simple. It had a v-neckline with t-shirt length sleeves and a red ribbon tied into a bow on the right, at the empire waist. Though, somehow, she made the simple white dress look like it was worth a priceless jewel, like every other clothing that she wears anyhow.

When she had come out of the change room, Natsume had had gone slightly wide-eyed and lost his 'cool and calm' façade for a moment and had a slight blush. Though, he quickly recovered it, just not fast enough for Mikan to not see. Mikan grinned at the sight before her, though, for now, she decided to let it go.

_~Flashback~_

_Mikan stepped out of the change rooms and looked at Natsume grinning and silently chuckling inwardly as she saw him lose himself for a while. She twirled around and modeled the dress for a while, as if she doesn't know that he was out of himself at the moment, until Natsume snapped out of daze._

"_We're getting that dress. Hurry up and change back to your own clothes now, throw your clothes over the door when you change out of it." Was all he told her and paid attention to the book that he had quickly bought along the way while Mikan was staring at a dress. Mikan nodded and quickly headed back to the change room to hide her smile. _

_When she changed out of the dress, she threw the dress over the door as Natsume instructed, only to realise that he was going to pay for the dress. She quickly changed to her own clothes in a flash and ran out to catch up to Natsume who was pacing towards the register. _

_"NATSUME!" she yelled out. "What the hell do you think you're doing?" she cried out. _

_"Tch, Polka, what does it seem like I'm doing? Making pizza?" he replied, earning him a bump on the head from Mikan's fist. _

_"Damn pervert. Why do you have to pay for it? You shouldn't pay for this as well!" she cried.  
><em>

"_Why? I already paid for the other two dresses, why not his one, too?" he shot back. Mikan glared at him for a moment before replying- scratch that… before shouting in reply. _

_"Exactly that! You have already paid for the previous dresses so I can't allow you to pay for this dress, too!"_

_While they were arguing, the person behind the cash register sweat dropped at the scene before him. "Um…" he started off, only to be glared at by the two, making him back down. After 10minutes, he was fed up and exclaimed, as politely as he could, having to be scared the shit out of himself by the guy in front of him, namely Natsume. "Excuse me! Why don't you just halve the price of that DRESS you're buying and get it over and done with?" Natsume glared at him making him squeak a small "please…?" He let out a relieved sigh when both parties agreed and paid._

_As Mikan and Natsume were exiting the store, Mikan decided to ask Natsume a few questions, again. "Hey, Natsume, can I ask more questions? Just yes and no questions." Natsume nodded. "You have the fire alice"_

"_Yes"_

"_You're a special star"_

"_Yeah"_

"_You've got a younger sister"_

"_Uh-huh." At this point, Natsume was starting to wonder why she kept on asking such questions, though he dismissed them and just let his guard down._

"_You're going to perform with me"_

"_Hn"_

"_And you like it when I modeled those dresses for you?" she asked innocently. _

"_Yes." Natsume had automatically answered, not sure what question she had asked him. It took him a while to __realise. When he realised, he blushed and quickly hid it with his bangs, though, Mikan still spotted the blush. "Oh… you're blushing!" she squealed._

"_I'm not, shut up, Polka dots" he growled, and thankful that his slightly warm cheeks have gone back to normal. When Mikan saw that the blush was gone, she pouted. "Mou! It's gone!" she exclaimed, "You looked so cute, too!" Making the poor boy blush again. Though, this time he managed to hide it from Mikan._

_~End of flashback~_

Natsume grimaced at the memory. She had caught him blush! He turned to the girl next to him. At the moment, she was turning her head towards every store they pass that had dresses on display. Noticing Natsume look at her, she turned her head towards him and smiled brightly.

"Oi, Polka dots"

"Stop calling me that, you pervert! What is it?"

"You still need one more dress to buy, don't you? You've only bought three so far, right?"

"Yup!" was all she replied. They stayed quiet for a while when Mikan broke it. "We should grab something to eat, ne?" Natsume agreed.

"Hn, we could go over there" he said, nodding towards the café just up ahead.

"Ok. Let's go! I'm hungry!" she exclaimed and grabbed Natsume's hand and ran towards the café, literally dragging Natsume along. When they reached the café, Mikan realised she was dragging Natsume the whole time. She quickly jerked her hand away and waited for Natsume to dust himself, sheepishly scratching the back of her head. She mouthed a "sorry", Natsume only replied with his usual "Hn" and headed off to join the queue to order.

After they ordered and received their food, they headed towards an empty table, sat down and ate in silence. Natsume was reading, holding his book in one hand, sandwich in the other, while Mikan was chewing slowly, staring across the distance. They ate in silence, until Mikan stood up, excusing herself to go to the ladies room.

"That's was total bullshit…. But whatever" he murmured after she was gone. He shrugged it off, continued his book and took a sip from him drink.

-While with Mikan-

Mikan walked towards a shadow figure underneath a tree and joined it herself. "What are you doing here?" The figure turned its head towards her, staring at her for a while then looked away and answered. "Ah… Shiro-neko… Expect additions to your class soon. _They're_ on their way here." Mikan glared at the figure. "Stop calling me that stupid cat name!" she exclaimed, before realising and printing the words the shadowed figure just said to her moments ago. She unconsciously straightened her back. She stared at the figure wide-eyed.

"Wait, what?" was all she managed to squeak out.

"You heard me."

"You know what I mean! Why?"

"Can't they just come and visit because they feel like they miss you and your loud mouth?" The figure asked, sarcastically making Mikan glare at him and bump her fist on the figure's head.

"You and I know that, that would be total bullshit."

"Yeah, I know" the figure replied a split second after she made the statement, "though… they did _kind of _come because they missed working with you, well, they agreed to come anyhow. They are to come because they will be your cover if anything is to happen. They will also be your back up when you are to do your 'jobs' or if you have difficulties handling 'school problems'."

"Uh-huh, is that all, then?" the asked the shadow figure that was now standing up, offering to help her up. "Yes, actually, there is. Meet me at the usual spot. You've got another 'shift' tonight. Meet at 7 sharp. Don't be late" it said, while pulling Mikan off her ass. "Have I ever been late?" she asked, acting hurt. "No... but you're always on the nick of time. Plus, I know how lazy you are. So you're bound to be late someday…"

"Mou!" she cried out, making the figure smirk. "Meanie!"

"Alright, alright… geez" it said, rolling it's eyes. "Alright, I better head off before Natsume starts wondering where the heckie I am." A word caught the figure's attention.

"Heckie?" the shadow asked, raising one eyebrow. Mikan only shrugged. "Alright then" the shadow figure said at last. "Get going."

"See you tonight… Onii-chan" the figure gave out a half-small smile. "See you later, imotou", then they both went their separate ways.

* * *

><p>Natsume was reading his book when he sensed Mikan coming towards him. He looked up from his book, unconsciously closed it and ate a chip as she sat down. "What took you so long?" he asked.<p>

"Are you always so nosy about people going to the restroom?" Mikan asked teasingly making Natsume glare at her.

"You and I both know that you going to the restroom was just utter crap. Where did you go?" he asked firmly .

"Nowhere you need to know" Mikan shot back. They both glared at each other for a while before letting out a sigh.

"I made a quick round around the street to buy shoes that go with the dresses." She lied after a while. Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"Why? You could have just dragged me along..." he replied, feeling stupid at the same time for saying such a thing. Mikan giggled at his remark.

"Yes, I was thinking of that... but I thought you should rest for a bit. But, if you want to go... we could go now if you want, since... we're both finished with our food." She suggested. Natsume gave a stiff nod before standing up, picking up his things and heading out of the café to the direction of a shoe store he's familiar with. After a few paces of silence, Mikan started to feel awkward with the atmosphere, plus she was wondering where Natsume was taking her. So, she could help but ask.

"Hey, Natsume, where are we going?"

"We're going to a shoe store that I am familiar with, and which should have all the shoes that will go with your dresses that you just bought. Now," Natsume said, turning around to her, "as soon as we enter this store, you leave me alone and look for your own shoes, got that?" Mikan gave a nod, assuring him that she will do what he told her. "Alright then, let's go in."

As they entered the store, in the corner of his eyes, Natsume saw Mikan's eyes sparkle with delight. 'Whoa, every girl I know seems to go ballistic over shoes...' he thought. Though, he knew that if he were to voice that out, Mikan would probably fling him to the wall. But, unfortunately for him, Mikan somehow read his mind and looked in his direction and spoke, "not every girl goes 'wha-ba' over shoes, Natsume. Watch what you think. Observe better. Look around the store and see the some of the looks on the girl's faces. Anyway, I'm off to look for my shoes!" With that, she rushed off to a pair of shoes on display. "Wha-ba?" he asked himself quietly and then, as Mikan told him to do, Natsume looked around, observing some faces of the people in the store. No doubt that some of the girls with the scowl on their faces and seeing this, he couldn't feel anything else but awkward and amused. He decided to leave the subject and found a seat and took out a book and started reading.

Every now and then, Natsume would steal a glance at Mikan who was trying on shoes. He couldn't help but think how wonderful her legs were. He blushed at his thoughts and tried to focus on the book in front of him. Moments later, a young lad strode into the store and at the same time, he heard Mikan whisper a curse. He turned around to see her making her way towards him. When she reached him, he gave her a questioning look. She just replied with a look that said 'I'll explain later'. He nodded.

"Hey, what about your shoes?" he asked. In the corner of his eye, he could see the young lad making his way towards them, and Mikan's aura getting more irritated with every inch of distance between them and the lad.

"I've already bought all the ones I need. Let's get out of here before I kill somebody." Mikan replied harshly, making Natsume shocked. She doesn't seem to be the type of girl to say those things. But hey, how much did he know of the girl? As far as he know, the look on her face is not pleasant, by all means, whoever this guy is, she doesn't have much of a pleasant experience with.

Natsume and Mikan were about to leave the store, when the lad had already reached them. He approached with a sincere smile. "Hello, Mikan. Nice to see you again" he spoke.

"Hello, it's been long, hasn't it? Why are you here?" Mikan asked harshly. If he was going to study at Gakuen Alice, she will sure as hell need 1000 dummies to bash up. The next words that came out of the lad's mouth confirmed her need of 1000 dummies.

"I'm going to study at Gakuen Alice, we'll be seeing each other more often very soon." He replied, trying to read Mikan face, and failed. It took up all of Mikan's effort not to shout and scream and tear the whole place up-side down from the announcement.

"I see. Okay then. I hope you have a good time here then." And she turned to leave, ready to grab Natsume's hand, who was silently observing the two, only to be stopped in her tracks. "Mikan, I need to talk to you. Please" the lad pleaded. Mikan stared at him for a while before turning to Natsume, silently asking him to wait outside for her. He replied with a nod, give the young lad one last look before leaving the store.

After Natsume left, a dark look appeared on Mikan's face. She turned to the guy next to her and spoke. "What do you want...Watanabe Akatsuki?" A teasing smile slowly formed on his face.

"I've come to get you."

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><p>Hello! My computer ended up getting a virus and my original chapter 6 went missing somewhere. I also have to deal with some extra homework from English. I've gotta start looking into Shakespeare. It's group work, so I have to go to the library more often... Not staying at my own computer... typing stories for you... Sad, is it not? (:<p>

Anyhow, REVIEW PLEASE!

I need the reviews! The motivation! Why?

My computer's getting really slow, and if i have lots of motivation, I also have a hell lot of patience to wait on my computer. So... REVIEWWWW!  (:


	7. New partners

YuiKudo- Yes, please. Tell me the mistakes I did in the previous chapter. I would appreciate it a lot.

sEcretmiNdLoLITA- ALL SHALL BE REVEALED SOOOOOOON!

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

* * *

><p>-Previously-<p>

After Natsume left, a dark look appeared on Mikan's face. She turned to the guy next to her and spoke. "What do you want...Watanabe Akatsuki?" A teasing smile slowly formed on his face. "I've come to get you."

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><p>Mikan raised an amused eyebrow, "Seriously? You, get me? Do you have any absolute idea about who you are talking to and about?" Akatsuki let out a soft chuckle.<p>

"Yes, indeed I do. I'm talking to you, Mikan. Only, I never knew your last name. I bet your new boyfriend doesn't know it either. He doesn't, does he?"

"No, he doesn't. He's not my boyfriend, and don't drag him into this" Mikan snapped back. "Why the hell are you here anyway?"

Akatsuki put a hand over his chest, empathising that he was hurt. "Aw, Mikan-chan, I'm hurt that you would ask such a thing in such a mean way" he replied. Unknown to him, Mikan's patience was running extremely thin and could snap at any moment.

"Just answer the damn question Watanabe" she said sternly. Akatsuki raised both his arms up, and answered, "wow, patience running thin... ok, ok. I came here to see how you're going." Mikan narrowed her eyes. 'Like hell I'll believe him...'

"Watanabe-"

"Call me Akatsuki, would you?" he cut off.

"I'll call you anything a freaking want to" Mikan shot back. "We both know that you transferring to Gakuen Alice is for another reason. To check on me to see how I was getting on? Bullshit." Akatsuki chuckled and shook his head, having to be found out.

"Yes. Indeed. I came here, as I said before, for you." Mikan narrowed her eyes, trying to make out what he's up to. She could easily get the answers for her questions but she was always the type to play games and guess, so she just let it go and shrugged making Akatsuki frown.

"Oh, Mikan... what happened? You would usually be pestering me about this time" he said in an amused tone. Mikan just merrily started walking away from him, stopped mid pace and her looked over her shoulder.

"Hn, well, Watanabe... People change" she said calmly, turning her head forward getting ready to walk again. She then added in a cold voice, "you of all people would know that" and with that, she walked away leaving a dumbfounded Akatsuki behind.

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><p>Natsume was waiting outside the store, trying his best not to go back in the store and eavesdrop on whatever they were talking about. He decided that he will try his best not eavesdrop and just wait outside. Though, the time that Mikan was taking was really getting on his nerves. She was taking up too much time. Natsume was deep in thought for a while, asking himself lots of questions.<p>

'Who is that guy? What does he have to do with Mikan? She doesn't seem to have much of a pleasant past with the guy... I heard her say Akatsuki Watanabe... his name, most likely...' Then he frowned, realising something else.

'Actually, thinking of which... I don't really know much about Mikan. For heaven's sake, I don't even know her last name! She didn't even introduce her full name to us. What's her past I wonder...?' Before he could start wondering deeper into thought, Mikan came out, calm front, as if she hadn't spent some time alone with the Akatsuki guy.

"So," Natsume started off, "what did you talk about?"

"Nothing much, just caught up a bit. He asked about how the school is, anything interesting happening. That was all." Mikan lied calmly, hoping that Natsume would drop the subject soon, which he did.

"Alright then, we should meet up with the group and go back now. We're spent more than enough time here, it's already half past 3. We've been here for about 5 hours" said Natsume. Mikan agreed and they both went back to the bus stop. When they reached the bus stop, the group was already there and they were greeted by the group. Mikan asked them if they were waiting her for a long time and the replied that they only just arrived and wondered how they were to contact Mikan and Natsume to meet the bus stop.

While waiting for the bus to arrive, the girls showed the dresses that they bought while the boys just stared at them going ballistic over the dresses they bought. All the boys sweat dropped at the scene in front of them. All were into their own things that they did not notice someone joining them until Mikan turned around and spoke.

"Ah... who are you?" she asked. All heads turned towards the direction she spoke to. All heads turned again, this time towards Natsume's direction when they heard him let out a hiss. The person disappeared, thought Natsume went and followed. Mikan, unable to resist her temptation, stacked her shopping bags onto Sumire and quietly followed Natsume.

The person was waiting next to a tree in a deserted area. Natsume arrive moments later with a dark look on his face.

"What do you want, Persona?" he hissed out. Persona tutted a couple of times while shaking his head before speaking.

"My, my... Little Kitten, you should be more respectful. God know what I could do..." Persona then demonstrated what he could do by pointing to a plant just a few metres from them and turned it into ashes within seconds.

"Tch. Whatever, just tell me what you want" replied Natsume, already getting annoyed.

"What an impatient Black cat you are. Alright then, you have a mission today. 7 sharp" said Persona. Nearby, Mikan went wide eyed. 'What the...' she thought, 'don't tell me that I'm going to be wit-', though, before she could think anymore Persona said the words she did not want to hear.

"You are going to have a partner with this mission. As much as I think this person can do it by them self... the principal wants you to get used to having partners in missions, in case there are future important missions in need of partners. And since you always do missions by yourself, you need to get used to it. Now, is that understood?" Natsume just stiffly nodded.

Mikan, not bothered to wait and hide anymore, took a step out with a friendly smile to Persona, before putting on a confused face for Natsume. Seeing Persona looking across his shoulder in amusement, he couldn't help but look over his shoulder. His eyes widened when he saw Mikan only 6 paces away from them. When she reached them, Natsume grabbed her hand and pulled her protectively behind his back. Persona just rolled his eyes before giving him a bored look and then knocked him out. Mikan tried to catch him, but only stopped his upper back and head from hitting the ground harder than it was meant to. Persona gave a satisfied nod before complimenting Mikan. "Hmm... You're getting good at sneaking up, Mikan"

"Persona... You didn't tell me I was going to have a partner..." said Mikan in the calmest voice she could possibly do. Persona looked at her for a moment before answering, "Well... I was kind of wondering how you would react at last minute stuff... but I guess I'll have to do that next time..." Mikan pooped a vein.

"WHAT THE HELL! IT'S A MISSION YOU IDIOT! I DON'T CARE IF IT'S JUST TO GIVE SOMEONE A TOUR AROUND THE SCHOOL AND I NEED A PARTNER. I STILL NEED TO BE INFORMED!" she yelled while waving her arms up and down. Persona raised his arms up in surrender jokingly.

"Alright, calm down, I'll tell you from now on then..." Mikan let out a bright smile and hugged him, "heehee, thank you, Onii-chan" Persona's arms wailed about wondering what to do since he doesn't know what happens when a person hugs you. So, instead of hugging back, he merrily patted her head.

"Ok, I need to go before the cat wakes up and starts scratching and burning. Bye, Imotou"

"Good bye, Persona nii-chan" whispered back Mikan as Natsume began to stir. Mikan quickly ran towards the tree and sat at the trunk and pretended to be unconscious. She heard Natsume get up and quickly rush towards her. He gently shook her a couple of times, though Mikan decided to stay still for a bit more. Natsume then shook her a bit harder, and then she turned on her acting mode.

"Urgh..." Mikan let out a groan as if she had been struck on the head. "Ah..." she said groggily while rubbing her head. "Wha- what..." she trailed off. Natsume just let out a sigh, scooped her up into his arm, stood up and started walking back to the group. Mikan let out a small squeak at the sudden action, causing Natsume to almost laugh. Though, Mikan decided not to be won over and decided to act dumb as if her conversation with her older brother never happened and she too was knocked out seconds after he was. "Ne, Natsume?"

"Hn"

"Who was that? I heard you call him Persona. What's so bad about him?" she asked innocently, resting her head against Natsume's chest, looking up at him. 'He looks so gorgeous like this... Whoa! Mikan, focus... F-O-C-U-S' she thought. She observed Natsume's reaction upon her questioning of Persona. She saw Natsume frown before answering in a cold voice.

"Yes, that guy's name is Persona. He is my ability type class teacher. He is the one giving me missions and the one who trains me" Then, he looked down at Mikan and said, "You are not to tell anyone what I just told you. Though, Ruka already knows." Mikan nodded and then asked him if Hotaru knows and Natsume just replied with shrug, not caring that he was lifting Mikan up in the process as well making her cling on him when she suddenly was lifted higher.

"I think so. She knows everything going around." Mikan only suppresses a soft 'Oh' and then the rest of the trip was silent.

When they were one turn away from the bus stop, Natsume carefully let Mikan down. Mikan let out a small 'Ah' before thanking him. He replied with a 'Hn' and then walked ahead. When the group saw them, Youichi and Aoi greeted them again while the girls, apart from Hotaru, pestered Mikan about how dangerous it could have been, Sumire also added in a lecture of her own, saying that she shouldn't be handling her shopping bags so harshly. The boys didn't even bother asking Natsume what happened since they always see Natsume follow him after seeing him. From the distance, Mikan saw Hotaru looking at her, mutely telling her to tell her later. Mikan let out a small nod before looking back at Sumire who was still going on with her lecture about being more careful with the bags and the clothes.

Moments later, the bus arrived and all hopped on. Youichi wanted to sit next to Mikan again, though Mikan said she was to sit next to Hotaru to discuss a few things. Youichi, being smart and knowing what Hotaru was like, just nodded and took a seat next to Natsume and Aoi.

"So" Hotaru started off, "tell me. What happened" Mikan gave a nod, before starting off in a small voice only for Hotaru to hear.

"I saw Watanabe just a moment ago" in the corner of her eye, she say Hotaru's eyes harden by the hearing of the boy's name. "He said, and I quote, 'I've come to get you'. He's also going to study at Gakuen Alice soon. I am not sure when, but I'm guessing that he is to study here soon."

Hotaru had here emotionless façade on, though her eyes told a different story. They were hard, murderous. Mikan quickly went onto the next subject before Hotaru did anything that could hurt anyone. "And before, I followed Natsume. Persona nii-chan met him to tell him he has a mission. But, annoying news, I've got the mission too. 7 sharp" Hotaru raised an eyebrow, obviously knowing that Natsume and Mikan were to be partners for tonight's mission.

"Yes... he's going to be my partner, Hotaru" Mikan sulked.

"And?" asked Hotaru. "Well... he's... yeah... and... you know... he's... and I'm..."

"Mikan, I do not speak gibberish nor understand it. Talk properly."

"I just don't want to be partners with him! I feel as if something's not going to go right on this mission" replied Mikan.

"Well then," Hotaru started off, "I guess you'll have to make sure that nothing goes wrong. And since you have a mission tonight, meet me at the Northern woods, the usual place, 25 minutes after we arrive back at school. Let's see how good you still are. Don't be late, or else."

Mikan let out a smile before nodding, verifying that she understood and will meet at the Northern woods. They stayed silent for the rest of the trip unless they were, well, Mikan, was asked questions about what she was going to wear and accessorise herself for the masked ball.

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><p>When they arrived back at school, they saw a lot of student getting ready to go Central Town and all were thankful for Sumire's shopping trip wisdom. All went their separate ways expect for Natsume and Mikan, who walked back together to their dorms, being special star neighbours and all.<p>

"So, what are you going to do when you go back to your dorm?" Mikan asked.

"I don't know, I'm probably going to change out of this uniform and then go Northern woods. I have a mission today." Mikan let out a soft 'oh' and they walked in comfortable silence for the rest of the trip.

When they reached Mikan's room, they bid each other goodbye and went into their rooms. Mikan quickly refreshed herself, tied her hair up into a pony tail and went to change into her black shorts, plain white t-shirt and a black hooded jacket. She then grabbed her three golden armband alice control devices and snapped them onto her right bicep. She then took her light blue earring and hooking it into place on her right earlobe then took her other two golden earrings on her left earlobe. Finally, she went over to her locked drawer, close her eyes and opened it and took out her mask.

Her mask covered her whole face except the part of her mouth. It was white with golden swirls and Sakura petals on the right side of the mask. She quickly put her mask on, went out to her balcony, pulled her hood over her head and jumped over the railing, onto the ground and landed without a sound. And with that, she disappeared, jumping from one place to another to the Northern woods to meet Hotaru.

When Mikan reached the Northern woods, she was early by 10 minutes and decided to start her warm up by setting up a few obstacles. When she finished setting up the obstacle, she took a deep breath before running towards the obstacles and then somersaulted into the air and landed again without a sound. Then, as soon as she landed, she jumped into the air again, this time landing on the tree branch. She kept dodging and defending herself from object coming towards her.

Mikan landed back onto the tree branch only to sense something coming towards her and instinctively dodged in, when she saw what was about to hit her, a playful grin slowly crept onto her face. It was time for Hotaru to train her now. Hotaru took out her latest inventions and turned them on, and let them do their job while she set out a chair, sat down and observed Mikan. Mikan expertly dodged everything coming towards her, though, all stopped when she sensed someone coming towards their direction. Fast.

'Damn it' she thought, 'I forgot Natsume was heading towards the Northern woods to train to. I guess I'll have to meet him earlier than expected'. Mikan quickly informed Hotaru that Natsume was coming and told her to go and she will deal with Natsume herself. Hotaru just nodded, and walked away leaving her inventions there for Mikan to train with. Though, knowing Hotaru, Mikan made sure that she had enough money to pay Hotaru beforehand.

Moments after Hotaru left, Natsume came into view. Natsume saw an unfamiliar figure in black shorts and a black hooded jacket. 'Damn, who is she? She's got some good looking legs too... Whoa... where you going Natsume? Focus' he thought.

Natsume landed down onto the ground quietly and observed the new person to see what they were doing. Natsume watched in awe as the girl jumped from one place to another dodging everything coming towards her. Mikan tried to fight the smirk trying to appear on her face as she pretended to act as if she didn't know Natsume was there. Though, tired of acting, she paused all inventions with a single clap and then turned her body towards the direction where Natsume was hiding.

'Damn, so she knew I was here all along' thought Natsume. Slowly and cautiously, he approached her until he was only a few steps away from her. They stayed silent for a moment, Natsume took the time observing the person in front of him. He frowned when he realised that a mask was covering her face. Seeing Natsume frown, she let the smirk she was fighting the whole time appear on her face. Natsume's frown deepened when he saw the smirk, though he let it go and decided to talk first.

"Who are you?"

"Someone you don't need to know yet" Mikan replied, making sure her voice was different to her real voice. Natsume frowned again, though dropped the question and continued on. "Why are you training here?"

"I just thought I need more work. Why are you here?"

"I decided to train since I've got a mission tonight." Mikan nodded once and thought for a while. Then, she thought of an idea that would be fun. Well, fun for her. "Hey" said she, catching the lad's attention.

"You want to train, right? Then, why don't we help each other out then" she said.

"How?" using those things?" asked Natsume pointing towards the inventions, which he had not yet figured out were Hotaru's yet.

"No" Mikan simply replied. Natsume gave her a questioning look. Mikan answered his question by stepping back, allowing them to have a fighting area. Natsume raised an amused eyebrow, though merrily nodded, agreeing to her idea.

"Alright then" he spoke, "1" he counted, "2", then, Mikan joined him in counting,

"3!" then, both charged towards each other.

Mikan tried to knock him off his feet, though, he expertly jumped up into the air and then tried to kick her down, and Mikan put her arms in front of herself to block the attack. The fight went on, both taking turns attacking and defending themselves. The fight went on until half past 6. Mikan, realising the time, stopped the fight and then announced that she need to go. She was about to go when Natsume stopped her. "Wait. Where are you going?"

"Somewhere." She stated. Natsume popped a vein. "Be more specific, would you?" Mikan rolled her eyes and answered that she needed to go because she had a mission, too and then jogged off, out of the Northern woods. Natsume let out a simple 'oh' and watched the retreating figure. He let out a sigh and check his watch. 25 minutes to 7. He should get going before he's late. Then, he himself went out of the Northern woods.

It was 15 minutes to 7 when he arrived and Persona was already there, leaning against the tree. "You're early" said Natsume. Persona replied with a 'Hn' and then they both went into silence for the remaining 15 minutes. When it was exactly 7, Persona stood up straight and spoke. "Alright, Black cat. Time for your mission-"

"Wait" Natsume cut him off, "Where is my partner?"

Persona stared at him for a moment before looking past Natsume's shoulder. Natsume turned around only to go into shock. The girl he fought just a moment ago was going to be his partner!

"Judge by your expression, I see you have already met her already. Kuro Neko, I present to you, every enemy's worst nightmare" then, he paused for a moment and turned to Mikan, "no offence."

Mikan shook her head, mutely saying 'none taken'. Persona nodded, and then continued on with the introduction.

"Kuro Neko, meet Sakura Kana. Sakura Kana, meet Kuro Neko" Natsume raised an eyebrow. 'Powerful cherry blossom... interesting' he thought 'wait, I've heard of that name before...' then, Natsume's eyes widened in realisation.

"You're... Sakura. The top agent and assassin known..." said he, dumbfounded. Mikan grunted in reply. Being an assassin is not something she is proud of. People watch some cop television show or something that has an assassin in it, and they think assassins are sexy and awesome.

"Yes, I am. I see you've heard of me. Nice to meet you. Now let us move on. What is our mission, Persona?"

"The mission a rescue mission. She is in a basement at the AAO. You need to rescue a young girl, around 4 years old, has the some kind of fairy alice or something..." he said trailing off. Mikan and Natsume both sweat dropped at the scene in front of them, though they quickly went back into business mode when Persona was ready to answer questions. Mikan, out of curiosity asked, "why do you need two people for this mission for? Anyone could rescue the girl."

"Yes. Indeed. But this girl is the daughter of someone important to one of the school's higher-ups, therefore the AAO could use her for ransom or some shit. Plus, they have though security there. You'll find out when you arrive there" replied Persona, "I expect you back in 3 hours at most. Sakura, you lead the mission. The cat needs to learn how to listen. Now-" before Persona could go on, he saw something that caught his eye, and seems like Natsume did as well. Both looked at Mikan as if she had gone mad. She gave them a questioning look, not understanding why they were looking at her like that. "What?"

"Uh, Sakura... How the hell are you going to do a rescue mission in ankle boots with heels?"asked Persona. Mikan merrily looked down at her shoes and shrugged, then replied. "It's easier than you think. Plus, I like a bit of a challenge." Both men stared at her for another moment before shrugging it off. "Alright then, I expect you back here at 3 hours at most. Your mission starts now. Go" and with that, Mikan and Natsume headed off to the AAO for their rescue mission.

On their way to the AAO to rescue the young girl, both Mikan and Natsume were thinking one thing.

'This is going to be one hell of an interesting mission.'

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><p>Hello! I updated! Yay...? Meh. I was typing this with my eyelids feeling like they weigh 3tonnes.<p>

Please tell me if I did any mistakes (include in your reviews). I like learning from my mistakes.

PLEASE REVIEWWW! Motivation **(:**


	8. Sakura and Kuro Neko on a mission

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**Warning:** Noobness shall be shown in this chapter. I have no idea how to describe all those chop, chop, kick moves(:

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><p>Amber- I SHALL MAKE SURE I KEEP UP THE WORK ON MY STORIES! I don't want anything to do with an axe… O_O<p>

Yuikudo, Msdgirl, hannah-chanxox, XxpuffpuffxX, Aquamarine Lacus, xDevilishAngelx, Meryq and MischievousRose- Thank you for telling me my mistake in the previous chapter. I feel so ashamed. Of all the mistakes I make, I DO THAT STUPID MISTAKE? GAH! Oh well, I fixed it, thank you to all (:

XDevilishAngelx- thanks for the suggestion on the different dialogue thing. Now, only thing is… do I understand, remember, and use it. (:

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><p><strong>And, I suck at grammar (:<strong>

Anyhow, Please enjoy!

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><p>As Mikan and Natsume were making their way to their destination for their mission, both were wondering how the mission will go along. They were travelling in silence until Natsume broke it (yes, Natsume broke the silence –gasp- ;p).<p>

"Just who are you?" he asked.

"You already know my name, Kuro Neko. You also know what jobs I do. So, why are you asking for?" Mikan replied back in a bored tone. Natsume frowned upon the answer he received. It seems as if Sakura liked to state the obvious as her answers and it's really getting on his nerves.

"I know that you know that I know. What I meant was do you have a school life or somewhat" he shot back.

"Yes. I do go to school. And that is all I shall tell you. You should know that one is not to reveal too much information about oneself... especially someone like me." Then they travelled the rest of the way that Mikan wanted it to- Silent.

When they arrived at the AAO, they planned on what to do. Mikan- or Sakura, should I say- will give a distraction while Kuro Neko travels to the AAO basement, where the girl is. When the guards were on their highest guard, Sakura announced that she was going to distract them at any second. Kuro Neko looked at her as if she had gone mad.

"What? Are you mad? You'll just get us both killed!" he whispered. Though, he silenced when he remember who he was talking to. As soon as Kuro Neko gave the final nod, she quickly dashed past a row of guards causing them to look towards the direction she ran towards. She then landed on top of a tree branch, purposely causing noise making all heads turn towards her.

When the guards saw her, they all pointed their guns at her. Kuro Neko, seeing this, widened his eyes in shock. They had not even lasted 10 minutes and they were going to die already. Though, what Sakura did next confused him. She... rolled her eyes? What? COULD SHE NOT SEE 500 GUNS POINTED IN HER DIRECTION? Though, he realised that they were doing what she wanted them to do when she smirked and gave him the signal to go into the basements. He quickly dashed for it though risked a glance at Sakura disappear in front of the guards. As soon as she reached the ground, she used her Telekinesis alice to lift up all guns and then flung them to the ground destroyed them, also knocking out a few guards in the process 'accidentally'.

"Oops" she whispered out. Kuro Neko clearly seeing her enjoy all the fun, thought that there was no way that he was going to let her have all the fun. 'Tch, don't tell me that she's the best ever known agent and she only have the Telekinesis alice?' thought he. He then jumped out from his spot and landed next the Sakura.

"What the hell, Kuro Neko?" she shrieked out, obviously annoyed, "I thought I told you to go get the girl!" she then whispered to him.

"Do you really think that I would let you have all the fun?" he replied in a bored voice, as if there wasn't about 500 guards ready to attack them. Sakura grinned at his reply. Her smirk became wider when she thought of an idea to make the mission a whole lot more fun for them. Well, more for her, she had no idea about Kuro Neko. "Ne, let's play a game; first one to knock all out, ne?" and with that, she halved the amount of guards with an ice wall, obviously giving Kuro Neko half the guards and half for her. 'Ah, son of a… multi-alice, tch, thought so' Kuro Neko thought. Then, to start off the game, Sakura counted. "3"

"2", then, Kuro Neko joined her in on the last number before she completely blocked his view of her side.

"1!"

Kuro Neko jumped up onto a tree branch as he saw guards charge towards him. As soon as he jumped on the branch he thought he would annoy them for a while, making them look in all sorts of directions by putting flames here and there. Then, he jumped down from his hiding spot and disappeared behind a row of guards, knocking them out one by one in a record of time.

Meanwhile with Sakura, she decided to have a little chat with her fellow enemies and tease them for a while for her own enjoyment.

"So," she started off, "how are we going to do this?" she asked. Some snickers were heard from the guards.

"Hah. Little girl, you should give up" one guard shouted. Then, many other voices supported the idea.

"Yeah, maybe I should," she replied, "but I can't. Then, how about this? Fight, but three against one at most, go easy or hard on me, depends how you want it. Ne?" she suggested innocently, with an inward smirk. Her smirk became wider when the guards agreed. 'Wow, how stupid can they possibly be? I should write a letter telling them to hire smarter guards…' thought she, though thought again, 'nah, more fun with the stupid guards'. Then, she grinned and got ready for her new game in her new game (does that even make sense? You know, like a game in a game? Like, a flashback in a flashback? Anyhow...),

'Well then… GAME ON!' she thought as guards readied for attack.

Two guards charged towards her. One guard threw a punch at her, though Sakura dodged it by moving to her left. She then grabbed his arm and flung him to the floor and then without wasting anytime, seeing the other guard spacing out for a moment, she vanished behind him and knocked him out. The rest of the guards that were watching quickly picked up their guns, realising that she was faking her little innocence.

All charged towards her in rows of 10 while Sakura just stood there in her spot calmly. She did a back flip out of the way, and in process kicking the guard's jaw, when the guard from the first row threw a punch at her and in the process, kicked the guard unconscious. She then vanished behind the last row of guards, and knocked them out, then worked her way through. Sakura had just about finished her 10th row when the rest of the guards realised that members of their group were slowly missing. All turned around to see Sakura finish off a guard and dropped him onto the ground. Sakura had her eyes closed and when she opened them, they were cold, emotionless and most shocking of all, glowing red.

"W-w-what? What happened to her eyes?" a guard asked amongst himself. Other guards felt the fear slowly creeping up on them though they still had to finish their job or else they'll feel more pain- Their hurt pride. Sakura looked at them with a bored front for a while, amused of the fear evident in their eyes. She watched them for a while before speaking.

"If you don't mind? I would like to continue what we were doing just a moment ago before you started wailing about like little kids who had their lollypops stolen" she spoke nonchalantly. This ticked the guards off, as Sakura wanted them to be, and the 20 rows of the 40 rows of guards charged up towards her while the rest of the guards went to reload and collect more guns.

Sakura went into stance for half the way the guards were charging towards her, though decided to stand properly for the rest of the way. When the guards were close enough, she used her speed alice, took out her knife that was strapped around her thigh and slit the throats of the first 5 rows of guards and knocked out the other 5(note that she still has glowing red, emotionless eyes). She then played around with the other 10 rows, tapping a guard on the shoulder here and there until she got bored and used her iced alice to freeze all of them and leaped onto a tree branch. Then came the rest of the guards fully loaded with bullets in their guns.

Sakura smirked at the scene before her. 'Now, this really is going to be fun. Game on' she thought before leaping back onto the ground.

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><p>Kuro Neko had knocked out 22 rows of guards and was working on his 23rd row of guards. 'Damn, these guards really like to go in rows' Kuro Neko thought. As he was finishing off the second last guard, another guard in the next row of guards tried to shoot him, though Kuro Neko flipped out of the way, causing the bullet to hit the last guard he was about to knock out. Feeling lazy, he effectively circled the next two rows of guards in a ring of fire until they passed out from fear of being burnt alive and got ready for the next. He broke a tree branch and used it to knock out the next two rows of guards.<p>

'Hm. 27rows done, 23 rows left. I wonder how Sakura's doing' thought Kuro Neko. Then, as if to answer his question, the ice wall between them melted. The water then went around each guard's feet and freezing them into place before freezing them altogether.

Kuro Neko looked over and saw Sakura standing next to him, though, for a moment he thought he saw her eyes were glowing bright red for a second but discharged the thought for the moment and glared at her.

"What the hell?" he growled. Sakura merely looked at him with a bored look before answering.

"What? I finished my lot. Thought I would be nice and help you" she replied innocently. She saw the irritation still evident in Kuro Neko's eyes so she melted the ice off 10 guards that seemed to catch her interest. She looked at Kuro Neko who seemed to be more pleased and told him that it was a new game.

"For this one…" she started off, "we'll work together" said she. Then after a silent moment she added, "Somehow". This almost made Kuro Neko almost laugh. He nodded and on the count of three both charged towards their opponents.

Kuro Neko somersaulted over a guard and then did a spin kick, knocking the guard out. He did the same to the other three guards leaving one left. He looked over to see Sakura already finished with four guards and playing around with her last one. Kuro Neko popped a vein. Natsume Hyuuga does not and will never lose to her! Though, before he could attack his opponent, he turned around to see the guard raising his knife, ready to stab. Kuro Neko, seeing it too late to move out of the way, closed his eyes ready to endure the pain. When the pain didn't come, he slowly opened his eyes to see Sakura standing over the guard that was ready to attack him.

"What the-?" he started off. Though he was cut off by Sakura's pissed off, booming voice.

"What the hell, Kuro Neko! You could have gotten yourself killed, you ass hole! Pay attention to what you do!" Kuro Neko stayed silent. Both stayed silent until Sakura broke it with a sigh. "Come on, there's still one more guard left to knock out" Sakura said. Kuro Neko nodded and looked for the guard.

"You see him?" asked he.

"Yes, indeed I do" replied Sakura. Kuro Neko turned around to see Sakura dash off to their target. "No fair. Damn cheat" Kuro Neko murmured, referring to Sakura going off to the guard without telling him. Sakura could only smirk in reply. Both took turns attacking the guard. Clearly, the guard was the best of all guards. 'Sakura sure as hell knew how to choose who to choose for competition' thought Kuro Neko as he dodged a punch. He then sent a strong punch back in the stomach towards the direction where Sakura was waiting for her attack. The guard went flying towards Sakura's direction, and when he reached her, he quickly took out a knife and tried to stab her. Though, Sakura expertly dodged it.

"You little punk" she said. Sakura does not like being attacked by her opponent. ESPECIALLY, when she was about to attack. And with that, her eyes glowed red. From afar, Kuro Neko's eyes widened. 'Glowing red eyes. So before... I didn't see wrong. Her eyes did glow red. According to what I've heard, when her eyes glow red, it means...' and with that, he tried to run as quickly as he could to Sakura, before it was too late for the guard.

Sakura took out her dagger that was strapped around her thigh and prepared to attack. The guard let out a small smirk before charging towards her. He was about to attack her when Kuro Neko knocked him off his feet and punched him unconscious. Sakura let out a hiss.

"What the hell, Kuro Neko? He was mine! I was about to finish him off!" Kuro Neko stayed silent and concentrated on her eyes. He waited for a moment until she calmed down. Slowly, Sakura's eyes went back to original colour. She shook off the feeling and turned around and headed towards the AAO basement. She stopped mid pace, seeing that Kuro Neko still hadn't moved.

"What are you doing standing there? Let's go." Kuro Neko quickly complied and followed.

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><p>Kuro Neko and Sakura quickly worked their way towards the basement where the young girl was. The sirens had gone off and the guards were bound to come at any moment, and both of them were not in the mood to fight. Sakura was in the front and using her X-ray alice to see where the girl was. She spotted the girl, she was the farthest basement down. When they were 4 doors away from her, Sakura stopped Kuro Neko. He gave her a questioning look. Not bothered to talk, she sent in a telepathic message,<p>

_**"There are guards waiting to attack us. All armed. I need you go first, I'll put a barrier around you to keep you safe from bullets. I'll then go in and get the girl, got that?"**_ Kuro Neko nodded and readied for Sakura to give the signal.

When Sakura gave the signal, he went off. As Sakura had said, there were guards waiting for him. All armed, pointing their guns at him. He couldn't help but roll his eyes when they where late on reaction. After 5 seconds of spotting him, they then fired. And as Sakura had promised, she put a barrier around him. He quickly worked his way through the guards and in the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura going towards the basement door and with that, she was in. Then, as she was gone, Kuro Neko circled all the guards in flames, stood back and watched in amusement as they fainted from fright.

Meanwhile, with Sakura, she had reached the room. 'What the bloody hell?' thought she. The room was pitch black, so, she used her X-ray alice again to spot where the girl was. She found the girl huddled up in the corner of the room with a fearful look on her face. 'What had the AAO been doing to her all this time?' Sakura thought madly. She quickly rushed towards the girl, though cautiously to not scare her. "Hey" she started off. The girl flinched making Sakura more uneasy.

"It's alright, what's your name?. I'm here to save you. You dad's waiting for you at school" with that, the girl looked at her.

"Really?" she squeaked out. Sakura replied with,

"Yes, what's your name? My name is Sakura. Sakura Kana". The girl stayed quiet for a moment, as if to remember her name again. After a moment, she answered.

"My name is, "Kohana. Kohana Tsukino" Sakura let out a small smile.

"Well, you sure are a beautiful little flower, Kohana-chan. Come on, let's see how to get you out of here." Sakura then quickly observed the young girl's body to see if she was badly hurt or anything. Chains were everywhere. Chains were around her wrists, ankles, actually, screw that, they were around most of her body. Sakura frowned at the sight before telling the girl to stay still. She then closed her eyes and loosened the chains around the girl's body, enough for her just to slip out of it. Just as they were about to leave, the door slammed open, Sakura quickly pushed Kohana behind her back protectively, only to roll her eyes when she saw who came in.

"Seriously, Kuro Neko. Mind coming in more like the cat you are?" she asked jokingly. Kuro Neko only rolled his eyes before replying, "Shut up. Let's go. I sense more guards coming."

Sakura nodded before turning around and picked up the girl. When Sakura turned around, Kuro Neko saw two deep cuts on her back. His eyes widened, though decided to give her a lecture later. Right now, they needed to get the hell out of the place. As soon as Sakura dashed out, Kuro Neko let the door slam close and rushed out with her.

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><p>When they escaped safely, Kuro Neko was walking in front of Sakura and the little girl.<p>

"Hey" Sakura called out. "What?" he replied.

"Introduce yourself to her" demanded she, pointing to the girl that was holding her hand. Kuro Neko let out a sigh before complying with her demand. He knelt down and introduced himself, the young girl then introduced herself, saying her name was Kohana Tsukino.

"There, happy now?" Kuro Neko asked grumpily. Sakura cheekily grinned and replied that she indeed was. Kuro Neko then decided to bring up the topic about her deep cuts. So, he stopped mid pace, also stopping Sakura, and stopping Kohana in the process. He turned her around, seeing that he was walking in front of her, to look her deep cuts on her back. Realising that Kuro Neko saw the cuts on her back, she quickly turned back around. Though, only wished she didn't when she saw Kuro Neko's hard, glaring eyes.

"When did you get those cuts?" he asked. "When I was fighting with the guards" she replied with a bored tone. "I know that!" Kuro Neko shouted, "stop stating the_ fucking_, damn obvious because I would obviously know it! WHEN, SAKURA? WHEN?" Kuro Neko may have lost his temper for the moment, though he still remembered to lower his voice when he said those 'colourful' words. Sakura let out a sigh, and after a moment, she replied.

"I got one cut when you were about to get cut yourself, the guard turned around and was about to stab the shit out of me, and I tried to dodge out of the way, obviously didn't work out so well. The second cut was when we were going to get Kohana, and you were fighting the guards. A guard came up behind me and, yeah. Good enough of an answer?" she snapped back. Although Kuro Neko gave a slight nod, his eyes were still hard and cold.

"What now?" asked she.

"You should have told me sooner" he said, with a small voice, evident of him trying to hide his worries. Hearing this Sakura couldn't help but say that she'll tell him the next time she gets injured. Kuro Neko gave a satisfied nod and both started off to go back to the academy again. Only, they were stopped by the sound of someone sobbing.

Sakura quickly knelt down, "What's wrong? Are you hurt? Please stop crying." She said. She was quickly relieved that she wasn't hurt when Kohana replied.

"No, I'm not hurt. But you are. You were hurt while rescuing me. I'm sorry!" she cried out, throwing a hug at Sakura. Sakura didn't budge at the weight thrown at her and just gave a small tight hug back before standing up, lifting Kohana up all together.

"It's alright, Kohana. It was my job as well as Kuro Neko's to make sure you come back safe and sound. Speaking of job, we should get back. Persona expects us back in less than 30 minutes." Kuro Neko looked at his watch, only to see that they had about an hour left before they were due to come back.

"Message. Telepathy. Persona. Come on." And with that, she took Kuro Neko's hand and teleported them to the academy.

* * *

><p>When they reached the academy, Sakura was still carrying Kohana and Kuro Neko's hand was still entwined with hers. Though, both didn't mind and calmly walked towards the Sakura Tree where Persona was waiting. When they reached Persona, he could help but be amused.<p>

"Nice family you got there" was all he said to make both teenagers blush and let go of each other's hands.

"Mission's a success, Persona. Where's Kohana-chan's parents?" asked Sakura. Persona merrily nodded towards their left. All turned around to see to figures standing in the moonlight. Sakura quickly, and carefully, put down Kohana, seeing the excitement in her eyes to be reunited with her family.

As soon as Kohana's feet touched the ground, she ran towards her parents. Though, as clumsy as she was, she tripped. Before she could fall flat on her face, Sakura caught her and carried her again and walked towards Kohana's parents.

"Mother! Father!" she cried, leaping out from Sakura's arms and into her parent's waiting arms. Sakura's eyes softened by the sight. Kohana's father looked at Sakura, and she bowed in reply.

"Thank you" he said before walking off with Kohana in his arms and holding his wife's hand. Sakura looked at the retreating figures. Kuro Neko had joined her and so had Persona. "That, Kuro Neko and Sakura," started off Persona, "is what you looked like a moment ago" he teased. Sakura and Kuro Neko glared at Persona for a moment before letting it pass. "Whatever, I'm going now. See ya, Kuro Neko! See ya, Persona nii-chan!" she announced while sprinting away, towards the Northern Woods to teleport away.

Kuro Neko stayed frozen in his spot before he could say anything. "What?" was all he could usher out. After another moment, he could finally speak. "She, Sakura Kana, is your younger sister?" he asked Persona as calmly as he could. Persona merrily shrugged before walking off as well. "Holy shit" Kuro Neko whispered as he took off his mask and headed to his room.

It sure as hell, indeed, was an interesting mission. Natsume couldn't help but think that, for the first time in his life, he would look forward to his missions from now on, if Sakura was to be his partner.

While with Sakura- cough, Mikan- she had just teleported to her room, and was taking off her mask when she sensed someone in her room. She quickly turned around, only to see Hotaru sitting the couch waiting for her.

"Ah, Mikan. Welcome back" Hotaru greeted her. Mikan smiled at her before suggesting her to go to her room to get some rest. Hotaru agreed and told her good night before leaving.

After taking a quick shower and refreshing herself and healed her wounds, she came out in a tank top and boxer shorts, she then lay in her bed thinking back about her mission. Mikan let out sigh. Her mission with Natsume was an interesting experience. And she sure as hell wouldn't mind doing it again. She lay in bed for a while, then, not being able to sleep she went out on her balcony and looked up at the moon.

After taking a quick shower, Natsume came out in nothing but his boxers. Unable to rest, he went out onto his balcony. When he stepped out, he saw Mikan looking up at the moon. She looked so beautiful like that, was what Natsume was thinking of. When Mikan realised Natsume was there, she let out a small smile.

"Welcome back" she greeted. "You couldn't sleep?" she asked. Natsume nodded and both stayed silent.

"Well," she started off. "If both of us can't sleep, why not get started on the performance?" Natsume thought about it for a while before agreed. Both went back into their rooms to change into proper clothing.

When Mikan stepped out of her room, she was wearing a knee-length, white, elbow length sleeved dress that was hugging the top half of her body and flowing at the bottom half, Natsume was already waiting outside. He was wearing a white dress shirt and jeans. "Let's go to the auditorium, where we'll we performing." Mikan agreed and both proceeded to the auditorium in comfortable silence.

When they reached the auditorium, they started to discuss on what to perform. "What should we do?" asked Mikan. Natsume thought for a while. "I'm not sure. What do you think?" Mikan thought for a while before dancing. "We want something... graceful and loving, so people can get into the mood of dancing with their partners, I guess." She suggested. Then, Mikan let out a goofy grin. "Hey, Natsume?" Natsume looked at her, curious of why she was grinning. "What is it?"

"You a fan of waltz?" Natsume's eyes widened from her remark.

"What?"

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><p>Hello! I updated!<p>

And as before, please tell me if I did any mistakes in your reviews(:

I might... note, MIGHT, try a 3 days in a row story update due to being bored most of the time and ignoring the calls of my school books screaming "DO YOUR HOMEWORK!"

What do you think?

Anyways, REVIEWWWWW (:


	9. A memorable time with you

Hello! I've updated! Tee hee(:

There might be awkward moments with Natsume here...

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are either 15,16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also more free than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

**And, I suck at grammar (:**

Any hows...

**PLEASE ENJOY(:**

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><p><em>Mikan let out a goofy grin. "Hey, Natsume?" Natsume looked at her, curious of why she was grinning. "What is it?"<em>

"_You a fan of waltz?" Natsume's eyes widened from her remark. "What?"_

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><p>Mikan let out a giggle. "I'm guessing that you're not so much of a fan?" she half-asked, half-stated. When Natsume didn't answer, she waved her hand in front of his face. "Hellooooo, Is anyone there?" Natsume snapped out of it. He looked around as if checking to see where he was. When he finished looking around, he looked straight at her and replied,<p>

"Hell no. No waltz. No way" Mikan pouted upon his reply. "Aw, come on! Please!"

"No"

"Please! Please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, please, PLEEEEEEASEEEEEE?" Natsume raised an eyebrow, rolled his eyes and smirked.

"You know..." he started off, "we could do this for the whole week, you _do_ know that, right?" Mikan pouted again, though didn't give up. She tried to convince him into to doing it, though gave up after a few goes.

"Fine then. Hey, let's do that dance we did in my room last time. Do you remember it?" Natsume nodded in reply. Mikan nodded back two times and then took out her iPod that she brought with her. She scrolled through a few songs before playing a song. And they then got ready to recreate and perfect their dance.

"Alright, so you remember the dance, right?" she asked. Natsume replied that he remembered and that he also had a few ideas to add to the dance, if it worked with the dance. Mikan nodded, as if satisfied. Then, they discussed on what to dance what moves, what music, etc.

* * *

><p>Mikan and Natsume danced within the night. They had been practicing since half past 9 and it was now midnight. As late as it was, the two teenagers felt as lively as ever- even the cat. They had finished their dance and were practicing it again. Perfecting it better every single time they danced, even if it seemed as if it was not even possible. They finished the last bit of their dance, bowed to each other and decided to take break. Mikan let out a happy sigh.<p>

"Ah, we finished creating our dance... we practiced it, literally, more than 50 times... in... about 2 and a half hours. We still have no song though. But I guess that'll be least important since I've got an iPod full of songs." She said, smiling. Natsume replied with his usual 'hn'. He was about to ask her about how many performances she had to do altogether on the night when they heard footsteps coming towards the auditorium. Mikan looked at him in panic.

"We're not allowed in here" was all she said, but it had a huge meaning. 'They were so dead if they were caught in the auditorium because...

1) the auditorium is out of bounds, [A/N: Ah... reminds me of my primary/ elementary school days *smiley face* ] and,

2) no students are meant to be out and about at this time of night'. Natsume let out a sigh before picking Mikan up into his arms, making her let out a small squeak, and went out to the balcony of the auditorium and leaped out.

He landed with a gentle 'thud'. When they landed, he did not put Mikan down. Instead, he walked towards the Sakura tree, still carrying her. Then, at the Sakura Tree, was when he put her down. Both parties stayed silent, standing and leaning against the tree trunk. From a third person's point of view, Natsume and Mikan looked nice and calm, though, up close, Mikan looked somewhat depressed. Natsume, sensing this, and not being able to take anymore of her being depressed, and also knowing that she was depressed of the idea of not do a waltz for the opening of the Masked Ball, he decided to do something about it.

Natsume leaned off the Sakura tree and stood up properly, catching Mikan's attention. He then spoke something that would have possibly given even Hotaru Imai a heart attack.

"May I have this dance?" asked he. Mikan was stunned for a moment, then, on her face appeared a true, cheerful, bright, heart warming, beautiful smile that even the glowing moon wouldn't be able to compete with the beauty.

"Yes, it would be my pleasure, good sir" replied she.

They waltzed around and danced randomly with Natsume leading and Mikan following. They looked into each other's eyes, evident that both of them were enjoying it. Within the middle of the dance, Mikan started to hum for them to dance to. Natsume let out a small smile, though Mikan didn't see it since she closed her eyes at the time to enjoy the moment.

They danced on for what seemed like an eternity under the moon, illuminating their stage. They ended their dance and sat down to rest, leaning on the trunk of the Sakura tree. They looked up at the stars as well at the bright moon. They gazed at the brilliant night sky in comfortable silence until it was broken by Natsume.

"Oi, how many performances do you have to perform altogether, anyway?" asked he. Mikan looked at him questioningly, curious on why he wanted to know. He merrily shrugged at her mute question. She let out a smile, happy because he was actually trying to start off a conversation.

"Well... I have the dance with you, sing the first dance song, last dance song, three songs in between, and two more dance somewhere in between" she replied. Natsume's attention was caught by her last statement. "Two more dances?" he asked. Mikan nodded in reply. "Yes. I have to dance two more..." Natsume stared at her for a moment before speaking again. "And you didn't tell me because...?" he questioned her in a deadly-like tone. Mikan sulked due to the tone Natsume used. "I just didn't want to bother you!" she squeaked out. Natsume leaned back and stared up at the night sky again, Mikan followed.

"Well then," spoke Natsume, "I guess we'll need to work on two more dances then. Shouldn't we?" Mikan's eyes widened.

"What?" was all she was able to utter out. "Why? I can't bother you anymore than I already have" she replied, in a way as if pleading him not to offer, even though she was dying for him to offer and as well as to accept his offer. Natsume merrily shrugged as an answer, mutely saying that he didn't care about doing another dance. "Anyway, you're going to have to perform way more than me anyway."

Mikan thought for a while. "I guess so... I think I forgot to mention that I'll be the MC for the whole night as well..." she murmured while going into a thinking position, her chin on the palm of her hand with her index finger tapping her cheek. If they were sitting on a chair, Natsume probably would have fallen off it. "What?" he asked, though, he didn't mean for it to be answered. But Mikan didn't know, so just replied anyway.

"I'm going to be hosting the _whole night_." Natsume stared at her in daze.

'What the hell was the gay teacher Narumi trying to do to her? Have her go into performing business? I thought it would only be for about 2 hours...' thought Natsume.

He let out a sigh and decided to let the topic pass. Both stayed quiet for a while until Natsume felt Mikan shiver next to him. He decided to take her back to her room since it was cold- and not to mention late. Mikan agreed and both headed to their rooms. They bid each other goodnight and headed for bed. Though, when they lay in bed, they stayed awake for a moment longer, thinking about their dance together under the Sakura tree, with the moon illuminating up their stage. Both fell asleep happily, and dreamed on about their small show that night.

* * *

><p>For 2 weeks, they practised their dance, also creating two more dances. Natsume offered to help Mikan pick songs for her to perform on the night though she politely declined the offer, saying that she wanted him to enjoy the night as everyone else instead of knowing what was coming up next and what not. Their friends were pleased that the two were getting really close and spending a lot of time together, especially Ruka, since he noticed Natsume starting to interact to people a lot more than he used to.<p>

Mikan and Natsume were in the middle of practicing their last dance to perform lunch time when a sudden knock was heard at the door, abruptly stopping them. Mikan hurried to turn off the music before the person came in. Who was to come in but Narumi. Natsume let out a grunt when he saw Narumi. 'What does the gay teacher want now?' he wondered to himself. Narumi, hearing Natsume's reaction to his presence, let out a cry.

"Mou, Natsu-chan! You're so mean!" Besides Natsume, he heard someone giggling, obviously about the name Narumi just gave to him. He sent a glare to both Mikan and Narumi, effectively shutting them up. Mikan then stepped forward and walked to Narumi.

"Hello, Narumi-sensei! What I can I do for you?" she asked with a cheerful smile. Narumi lunged for a hug, though, Mikan stepped to her left, making Narumi fall flat on his face. Seeing this, Natsume scoffed and muttered out "idiot" low enough for Narumi not to hear, but Mikan did. She raised an elegant brow at him. Natsume raised his hand up into the air, acting innocent. Mikan turned back to Narumi.

"You really shouldn't do that, Narumi-sensei. Next time I could..." she then leaned of to Narumi and whispered something that Natsume couldn't quite make out. Though, from Narumi's expression, probably something pretty harsh. "Ok, Narumi-sensei? Just be careful. Now what can I do for you?" Mikan asked in an all-too-sweet voice. Narumi let out a stiff nod before continuing.

"Ah, I was just wondering how your performances were coming along" stated Narumi. Mikan replied that the performances were coming along great and all will be a surprise. She was about to shoo Narumi out the door when he said something. "By the way, Mikan? Please go to the Headmaster's office at the end of lunch. Don't worry about telling Jin-Jin, I'll tell him for you. Well then, ADIEU~" and with that, he skipped out and slammed the door shut. Mikan and Natsume sweat dropped. 'What the hell?' both of them thought. They then shrugged it off and went back to work.

Outside, Narumi let out a shudder, recalling what Mikan had said to him.

"_You really shouldn't do that Narumi-sensei. Next time I could... take out a knife and just...oh... I don't know what could happen next. You take a guess."_ He shuddered at a thought and hastily left and went to the teacher's lounge room to have some tea to calm him down.

* * *

><p>After half an hour of rehearsing again, they had figured out which song to dance to. Mikan then suggested Natsume to go out and eat, since he hasn't been seeing Ruka much. Natsume asked her if she was sure about it. She merrily smiled, said that she would join him later and ushered him out. Natsume and Mikan bid each other goodbye for the moment. Mikan watched Natsume's retreating figure until it was gone. She quickly closed the door and collapsed onto her knees.<p>

"Oh shit." she wheezed out. "This isn't going to be good" was the last thing she quickly went to the piano and lay on it to rest.

Natsume had reached the group and was greeted by them all. He replied back "hn". The girls then went back to what they were previously doing. The guys turned towards Natsume, mutely asking him how rehearsal went. He merrily answered that all was good. He then went into deep though on why Mikan suddenly wanted him to go out and join the group. Not only that, she was in a hurry for him to get out as well. He then recalled how she usually looked like during rehearsals and how she looked like today. He decided to let the subject go for a while, but after 20 minutes, he went back to the topic of how Mikan looked previously. After a few seconds, his eyes widen in realisation.

"Holy shit!" he called out, catching the group's attention. He then jumped up and ran towards the room he last saw Mikan.

The group looked at each other and quickly followed suit. They were not far behind Natsume and saw him stop suddenly at a room, most likely the rehearsal room the group thought. Natsume banged on the door calling out Mikan's name. When the door didn't open, he took a step back and smashed the door open and quickly caught the door before if fell onto the ground, in case Mikan was lying of the floor just in front of the door. When Natsume didn't see her, he quickly looked back and forth, searching the room. All eyes then laid on a figure on top of the grand piano. Natsume rushed to her while the rest of the group was stopped by Hotaru. She mutely told them to get out, which they did and Hotaru then followed suit, closing the door behind her.

Natsume pulled Mikan into his arms and onto his lap and shook her gently. Mikan stirred a bit and then slowly opened her eyes. A few muffled sounds escaped her lips before she could actually say anything clearly. But before she could say anything, Natsume glared at her, making her inwardly shiver. Mikan pouted.

"Mou, I'm sorry for not tell you then?" she half-asked, half-answered.

"You sure as hell should be sorry, kid. Why the hell didn't you tell me?" he asked her, still glaring. Mikan gulped before answering.

"I di-"

"And don't you **dare** say you didn't want to bother me because I swear I will rip someone's head off and burn it." Natsume said, cutting Mikan off. When there was silence, Natsume let out an exasperated sigh. "Oh well, at least you're not dead. That's one good side. But the bad thing, you're sick and..." before he could say anything further, Mikan leaped off him and twirled around.

"I'm fine! See?" she twirled around again. Natsume narrowed his eyes. "How? You were full-on looking like a zombie sick just a moment ago..." Mikan frowned.

"Hey! I didn't look like a zombie!" though, she then grinned like an idiot. "I wasn't only sick today, I was sick for two days already. I just needed a final rest and then- bam! All healthy and good agai..." Mikan's voice trailed off, seeing Natsume's glare again.

"Oh crap..." she whispered out. She then decided to make a run for it and rushed out the door with Natsume right on her tail, chasing her. While running, Natsume called out,

"YOU WERE SICK FOR TWO DANG DAYS ALREADY AND YOU DIDN'T TELL ME, LITTLE GIRL?" Mikan's only reply was sounds of laughter. She turned around to look at Natsume with a big, cheerful expression. She then turned around again to try and run quicker. After a few minutes of running around the school, Natsume did a few big leaps, effectively catching up with Mikan. He then grabbed her by the waist and swung her around. Mikan continued to laugh and at the same time trying to tell him to let her go between gasps, though he didn't listen and just swung her over his shoulder like a sack of potatoes and walked away at the same time glaring at the students around the area- having to be about two-thirds of the population of the school..

Students that were around the incident were forever traumatised, being the first to witness Natsume Hyuuga having a 'fun', 'cheerful', 'happy' time. Even though his face wasn't showing anything 'fun' and 'happy' his eyes were evident of life in them, as well as cheerfulness.

* * *

><p>Mikan was still trying to get off Natsume for the whole way where Natsume was planning to go.<p>

"Mou, Natsume! I need to meet the Headmaster soon! The bell is going to ring at any second now!" she cried out. With that, Natsume let out down gently. As soon as he let her down, the bell rang. Mikan let out a squeak and was about to run in a random direction, only to be stopped by Natsume. She gave him a questioning look. He rolled his eyes, making Mikan glare at him. He then pointed at the door in front of them with a huge sign saying, **HEADMASTER'S OFFICE**. Mikan sheepishly scratched the back of her head and bowed to Natsume, thanking him. Natsume replied with a 'hn' and bid her goodbye, and will see her in class. Mikan watched his retreating figure. When it was gone, she closed her eyes and went into business mode. She then knocked on the large doors three times. The doors opened and Mikan gracefully walked in. Ready for what was going to be told to her.

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><p>Oooooooh~ What could be happening here?<p>

Ah screw it. I'm not good with all the 'What will happen next' stuff.

Oh! Please, in your reviews include the following.

-Did I do anything wrong? Any mistakes? If so, where?

-Did you like it? **(:**

Annnddddd~

-You you prefer long chapters? Like chapter 7 and 8? Or more like my first few chapters?

THANK YOU! **PLEASE REVIEWW~~~~~ (:**


	10. One of the new students

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also freer than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything.**

And, I suck at grammar (:

* * *

><p>Mikan walked into the Headmaster's office with a calm front. She bowed respectfully at the Headmaster as he stood up to welcome her. He offered a seat to her, which she accepted. Both stayed quiet for a moment until they were the room alone. When everyone had left the room, the Headmaster spoke.<p>

"Ah, Ms. Sak-" he started off, only to be cut off by Mikan.

"Please, just Mikan will do." The Headmaster replied with a nod before continuing.

"Alright then, Mikan, I am glad you came. Do you know why I called out in?" Mikan shook her head and replied that she had not a clue upon why he called her in.

"I called you in because there are about three new additions to our school and they will also be in your class. But, I would like to put you in charge of one particular student, upon their request, of course. You would most likely know him" said the Headmaster. He then turned towards one of the doors and behind his desk, he pressed some kind of button and a microphone popped out of the desk, he leaned down to it and spoke.

"Come in"

Mikan turned her head to her right, as the door opened. Her eyes widened as she saw who stepped into the room, with a smirk on his face.

'Oh… this is going to be one hell of a long meeting' she thought as Watanabe walked into the room.

* * *

><p>Meanwhile, in Jinno's class, Natsume was in his normal position with his feet propped up on the table with his manga on his face. Even though to the rest of the class he may seem as if he was asleep, little did the rest of the class know that their Black Cat was wondering about a certain girl- Mikan.<p>

Koko had tried to read the flame caster's mind. Only, it resulted in him getting his ass burnt, literally. After that, he didn't go anywhere near the thought of reading Natsume's mind again, for the sake of his ass.

Natsume kept on thinking about how long Mikan would take and what the Headmaster wanted to see her about. 'It's been half an hour already, surely the meeting with the Headmaster couldn't take that long, right?' he asked himself.

His thoughts were interrupted by mood of people around him- nervous. Some people around him were nervous. He turned to his right and saw Ruka continuously tapping that table and rubbing his cheek. Natsume frowned at the sight. He frowned deeper when he looked around the class. Pretty much, most of the guys in the class were fidgeting around. Yuu, Koko, heck, even Mochu was sweating bullets!

'What the hell?' Natsume cried out in his mind. 'What's wrong with them?'

He thought of the reason for a while and smirked when he found out why. "I guess they're about to ask the girls to be their dates" he murmured to himself and then, he tossed his manga aside and decided to look at the board, well, kind of. He only wanted to 'face the board' so he could watch his friends sweat bullets and fidget around.

* * *

><p>"You have got to be kidding me" Mikan muttered to herself, as Watanabe took a seat next to her. She then looked up at the ceiling and murmured, "Please, Kami-sama, make this a horrible nightmare…" She looked back at the Headmaster again when he was about to speak.<p>

"Mikan, meet Akatsuki Watanabe. I would like you to make sure that he fits in and doesn't get involved in any trouble" instructed the Headmaster. Mikan looked to her left and uttered, "Ah, god damn it"

She then looked at the Headmaster's table and continued, "Oh, it's a bit too late for that, because he's already going to get a hell lot of torturing from me…"

"What was that, Mikan?" the Headmaster asked. Mikan unconsciously sat up straighter than she needed to.

"Nothing. Nothing at all, sir, I will be my… pleasure… to do as you ask" she spoke, through her clenched teeth. "Is there anything else you need, sir?" she asked, unwillingly.

The Headmaster nodded and replied that there was, indeed, something else that he wanted her to do. Inside, Mikan died a little bit inside.

"I would like you to escort Akatsuki to his room. He is a 3-star. Room 305." Mikan nodded, showing the Headmaster that she understood. She then stood up and bowed and walked towards the door, followed by Akatsuki.

Akatsuki sped up his walking pace to walk ahead of Mikan and opened the door. Mikan glared at him. She was about to step out when the Headmaster stopped her.

"Hold on. Akatsuki, you go out first. Mikan, come back in, there is one more thing. Close the door behind you, Akatsuki" instructed the Headmaster. Mikan walked back into the room and stood in front of the Headmaster's table. She looked at him, mutely asking him what else she could do for him.

The headmaster spun his chair 180 degrees before replying. "Go the Sakura Tree as soon as you finish showing Akatsuki his room. Persona has news for you." He then turned his chair back to look at Mikan. Mikan nodded, understanding. Before the Headmaster could dismiss her, Mikan spoke first.

"Um, by the way, sir. Did Watanabe hear anything…" Mikan asked, uncomfortably. The Headmaster assured her that Akatsuki did not hear a thing, since the room is sound proof. Having to the reason why he spoke through the microphone. Mikan nodded again and bowed when the Headmaster dismissed her.

As Mikan stepped out of the Headmaster's office, she turned to see Watanabe leaning against the wall. "You seem to be quite popular today, not that you never were, anyway" he spoke. Mikan shot his a glare and turned to walked down the hall, to where the dormitories were. Watanabe, of course, had to follow.

Both of them stayed quiet on the way to the dorms. Mikan's pace slowed down as she realised something. 'Damn, we're going to pass the classroom' she thought. All she could do was hope the doors were closed, though, today, luck seemed to not be on her side since the doors were opened.

"Expect Jinno to make your day worse than it is" she murmured to herself.

As they walked closer to the classroom, Mikan prepared herself a plan so the class would not see Watanabe.

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><p>Natsume was getting bored and decided to look at the corridors while wondering how much longer Mikan would take as well as hoping something interesting would happen like, something flying past the classroom. And then, as if on cue, Natsume saw something fly past.<p>

'What the hell?' he thought to himself. Though, he dismissed the thought when he saw Mikan skipping into the classroom and greeted everyone casually.

She received a glare from Jinno. "How dare you come late to class! Not only that, you dare come in and make a racquet, too!" yelled Jinno.

Mikan held back the urge to roll her eyes at him. Instead, she turned to Jinno, strut down to him and tiptoed, to be the same height as him and whispered, "Dear Jinno-sensei, I'm dearly _sorry_ but you were meant to be informed that I would either arrive late to class or I would not attend at all. But since you would most likely not believe me, take your ranting to the Headmaster. I'm sure he will be more than happy to explain the reason upon why I am late."

Mikan then stood properly and took a step back turned to the class and continued, "Anyway, I just came to say a nice 'hello'. So… bye! I'm missing out of class!" Mikan cheered to the class. A few groans of disappointment and jealously erupted around the class. This made Jinno glare at them- hard. All the students, apart from two certain people, gulped in fear of their Math teacher's wrath.

A sudden giggle came from the front of the room. All eyes were on Mikan, wondering why she was randomly giggling. After a few minutes of giggling, she turned to leave, only to be stopped by Jinno.

"Where do you think you're going?" Jinno's voice boomed across the classroom in annoyance that a _student_ had dared to walk out on him. Mikan merrily grinned and turned to face her red-faced Math teacher.

"I…" she started off, "am to show someone to their dorm, in favour of the Headmaster. You may go check with him if you wish to waste your time" Mikan replied innocently. This only made Jinno more annoyed.

"I want to know the name of the person whom you are escorting their dorm to, Miss. Oh-thinks-she's-so-smart" Jinno shot back.

Meanwhile, the rest of the class watched, sweat dropping at the scene before them. The sweat dropped even more when they realised the Hotaru was videoing the whole thing and Natsume, sitting back, relaxing, and watching in amusement. All were too involved in watching Mikan and Jinno argue that they didn't realise someone was standing at the door.

"Why, thank you. At least I'm a smart ass, not a jackass" Mikan retorted back. Jinno popped 10 veins upon what she said.

"WHY YOU-" before he could continue what he was saying, someone cleared their throat catching everyone's attention making everyone, except Mikan and the obvious, to gasp and Natsume's eyes widen.

"PERSONA! What do you want?" Natsume hissed out, making his way to Mikan. Persona only tutted and stayed silent for a while, watching his cat make his way to his little sister.

"Why, you are a rude cat, are we not, Natsume?" he said, slowly, whilst dawdling closer to Mikan, causing Natsume to hiss and glare harder at Persona that he already was.

Meanwhile, Mikan stood between them, blankly. 'How did it go from Mikan-Jinno to Persona-Natsume so quickly?' she wondered to herself. She decided to dismiss the thought as Natsume pulled her behind his back. Getting tired of her older brother and Natsume glaring at each other, Mikan decide to get on the reasoning.

'_Persona nii-chan...'_ she sent to Persona, using her telepathy alice. Catching Persona's attention, she spoke. "Um, excuse me, Persona, why are you here?" she asked politely, secretly glaring at her brother, seeing the amusement evident in his eyes. After a few minutes, Persona finally answered.

"The Headmaster would like you to hurry up with what he asked you to do and," he turned to Jinno and continued, sternly, "You, follow me."

Persona then turned and headed towards the door with Jinno following not far behind. Persona stopped mid-pace and turn towards the class. "By the way, the rest of the period is a free period" he announced. Jinno's eyes widened while Mikan chuckled. The class thought she was chuckling about their math teacher's reaction but, Mikan chuckled because she had read her brother's mind and knew that Jinno was most likely going to wet his pants in fear.

Finally snapping out of his shock, Jinno yelled out, "WHAT? This is outrageous! This is my class and-"

"-and this is my job in favour of the Headmaster. Now shut the _fuck_ up and get your ass _outside_" snarled Persona, obviously pissed off.

Jinno yelped and quickly jogged out of the classroom. Seeing what just happened, the classroom was filled with muffled laughter. Persona, then, also made his way out of the classroom. Mikan stayed for a while, amusingly watching her classmates suffer from trying to hold in their laughter. Not being able to take it anymore, herself, she cracked up laughing, many other students followed and started laughing their ass off and falling off their chairs.

After a wonderful moment of laughing, she announced to was leaving and bid everyone goodbye until next time. As Mikan closed the door, she looked up the hall to see her brother leaning forward, looking down at Jinno, and Jinno have a fearful look on his face.

Mikan chuckled in amusement. "Ah, nii-chan should really go easy on people with his threats. Everyone already gets scared by the sight of his face" Mikan whispered to herself.

From the distance, she saw her brother pop a vein.** _'I heard that, little girl'_** Persona told her through telepathy. Mikan merrily giggled put her hands in the air and turned away. She stopped mid-pace when the door suddenly opened. She turned to see who it was.

"Ah, Natsume, what are you doing here?" she asked, while looking around, searching for Watanabe.

"I just decided to come along with you. You're taking a new kid to his dorm, right? Might as well come along, it'll be better than being in that dump" he explain, nonchalantly, pointing to the classroom. Mikan gave him an awkward smile and sighed when she saw spotted Watanabe lying on the ground, ass up to the sky and in the same spot he landed when she kicked him.

"Still in the same spot you landed when I kicked you, aye?" she asked herself, kind of. She then proceeded to walk towards him. Natsume, seeing where she was going, followed a few paces behind, not bothered to catch up with her pace, and thinking.

"So something _did_ fly pass the room... but apparently, it was a 'someone'" Natsume muttered to himself. He then sweat dropped when he recalled what Mikan said a moment ago.

"_Still in the same spot you landed when I kicked you, aye?_"

"HOLY CRAP" Natsume called out, "you kicked his ass all the way down the corridor?"

Mikan stopped and stared at him before resuming on walking. She then answered casually that she, indeed, kicked the guy all the way down the corridor. Natsume processed the words into his mind slowly with his eyes widened.

Mikan continued to walk towards Watanabe while Natsume lagged behind. As Mikan walked closer to Watanabe, she walked slower, her guard down. When she was close to Watanabe, he suddenly pulled her down on him and rolled over, putting her under him, arms locked in his grip over her head.

Natsume, seeing this, went on high alert. He was about to run up to Watanabe and punch the shit out of him when he saw Mikan giving him a signal to back off. He let out a grunt and decided to obey and leaned back against the wall. Though, he had his guard up in case anything went wrong, extremely wrong.

Watanabe was looking down on Mikan, smirking, glad he had trapped her under him as he had planned. Though, he had to admit that he was a little disappointed that she wasn't struggling out of his grip and looking up at him casually, yet confidently, as if she knew that it would happen.

After a few minutes of idiotic smirking, he finally decided to speak. He leaned down to Mikan's left ear and whispered in a voice only for her to hear.

"Ah, Mikan, Mikan... I'm good, aren't I? Heh, someday, you'll be mine again..."

Mikan raised an eyebrow at what he said before dropping it and pretended to let out a small giggle. Oblivious to Watanabe that she was faking, he thought she liked the idea of him chasing after and smirked. Mikan turned her head to whisper into Watanabe's ear.

"Hmm... Watanabe... I-" she then cut herself off and pretended to think. Then, she started again. "Watanabe, let me give you a piece of advice. 'Be careful'"

Watanabe gave her a questioning, confused look. He became more confused when Mikan smirked. Before he could ask her why she was smirking, he felt his grip on Mikan suddenly disappear and his back being slammed on the ground. He decided to keep his eyes shut. All he could feel was Mikan lean over to his left ear and her warm breath.

From the distance, Natsume was frozen with his mind still trying to process what had just happened. He pushed the matter aside and slowly made his way to Mikan. Seeing that she happened to have everything under control now.

Mikan was leaning over Watanabe, ready to whisper in his ear. "You sure as hell love to live up to your name, don't you, Watanabe" she stated more than asked.

"You just _love_ crossing boundaries. But I would watch it if I were you, because one day, there might not be anymore boundaries for you to cross"

Watanabe snickered and turned to he could talk into her ear. "And why, exactly?" he asked, challengingly. Mikan leaned back to get back on her feet, she squat down next to him.

"Because you'll be dead" she replied nonchalantly as Natsume arrived next to her, glaring hard at Watanabe. When he reached Watanabe he kicked him down the hallway. Next to him, Mikan raised and elegant brow, only to have a shrug as her reply, she then shrugged, too, having to not mind either, so why bother?

Then, they made their way towards Watanabe. When they reached him, Natsume walked up to Watanabe and squat down next him and spoke.

"You should really be more polite to women, Watanabe" said Natsume, he then added in, "especially women who used your ass to whip the hallway" he sneered. Then, he stood up and turned towards Mikan and spoke, "So, what now?" he asked. Mikan stayed silent for a moment, thinking.

"Hm, we should really get him to his room, let's get him on his feet, but we'll drag him if he's knocked o- YUP, heeeeeeeeee's out" she said, talking like the people do in wrestling matches. "Dragging him it is then" announced Mikan. She took Watanabe's shirt collar and dragged him. She had only taken one step when her grip on Watanabe's shirt was gone. She looked next to her to see Natsume walking past her, dragging Watanabe along.

Mikan let out a small giggle, having to think of something. She waited for a bit of distance between Natsume and her before she ran up and leaped onto him, making him give her a piggyback.

"What the?" he called out. Mikan continued to giggle. Hearing Mikan giggle, he decided she just wanted a bit of fun, so he just decided to piggyback her anyway.

"So, what room?" asked Natsume when they had reached the dorms. Mikan replied that it was room 305 and couldn't help but continue what she knew what he wanted to know.

"Also, by asking that, you want to know his star rank as well as my history with Watanabe, hm." She stated. Natsume was dumbfounded. 'How the hell did she know what I wanted to know?' he asked himself. He almost cursed when she answered his question.

"It is all in the matter of studying the person" she said. Before Natsume could speak, Mikan spoke first. "My history with this guy here," she said, pointing to Watanabe, "is nothing too big. Even though my irritation having to look as if I'll blow the guy up if he's with 20meter radius of me, seems like it. I guess you could say it's very... '_Cliché_' for every drama TV show slash movies and all that, I guess" she told Natsume.

Natsume remained silent, waiting for Mikan to continue. When she didn't, he asked her, "so, what exactly happened?"

Mikan leaned her head down onto Natsume's shoulder, since he's still piggy backing her, and looked at him for a while before clinging back on him again. When they reached the floor to Watanabe's room, Mikan asked Natsume to put her down, which he did, and she started looking at the room numbers.

"So, turn left, and... 303, 304... Ah, here it is- 305" she muttered to herself. She then took out the key for the room and unlocked the door. She then grabbed Watanabe, from Natsume, by his shirt collar, dragged him to his bed and flung him onto it. She flung the key onto the study table that was near the bed and then, much to Natsume's surprise, Mikan leaned over and pulled the blanket over Watanabe's body. She then stood back up straight again, turned and gracefully strode out the room, with Natsume blankly following, still shocked by what happened. In front of him, Mikan spoke.

"Old habits die hard, Natsume"

The rest of the trip was quiet until they reached the stairs to walk out of the dormitory. Mikan walked down three steps and sat down the second step. Natsume followed, stilling on the first step. When Natsume was comfortable, she spoke.

"Watanabe and I... dated back in Middle School," she started off, looking out at the scenery in front of them. She then turned to look at Natsume, "I swear, you better get comfy before I start talking." Natsume nodded, mutely telling her he was ready to listen. Mikan nodded back and looked back at the scenery in front of her and spoke.

"Alright, then, the reason why I hate him... plus our history together"

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><p><span>I'M SO SORRY FOR THE LATE UPDATE~<span>

My computer's pissing me off, I swear, blame my computer. It ended up getting a virus, and then I couldn't open up any files, any… any anything! And then I had to restart my computer again and… and, no, I did not have to restart this chapter, I work with USBs…. Though, one of my USBs betrayed me and didn't keep any files… therefore, all the things on the USB were gone, forever, gone… -sigh-

PLUS. One question- Document Manager thing. What does it mean by the 'Life'?

ANYWAYS, review please~

Tell me what you thought of it, and tell me if I did any mistakes, since I couldn't be bothered checking… (:


	11. New Students

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also freer than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything... But I do own the new student...s**

And, I suck at grammar (:

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><p>akjupiter- Thank you for telling me what 'Life' means (:<p>

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><p>Please enjoy, my lovely readers (:<p>

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><p>"Alright then… my history with Watanabe…" Mikan started off. "We were in Middle School as I said before. We were also in same class. Watanabe was the 'popular guy' my friends said I was as well… Somehow, they mentioned something about boys, I think…" she trailed off. Natsume sweat dropped at her denseness. Mikan continued.<p>

"Anyway, Watanabe was, probably, known as every girl's prince. He was extremely generous, never held grudges against anyone and was definitely _not _ugly- he was quite good looking. So, we were in the same class and there was a project to do for Geography- obviously with a partner-"

"-and you were told by the teacher to pick a name out of the hat because of all the commotion caused by other students wanting to be your partner. So, you picked out a name out of the hat and you were partnered with Watanabe" Natsume butted in, already knowing most of the plot.

Mikan gave him a half smile. "Yeah, I told you, didn't I? The whole story is very obvious. Anyway, so we were paired up, we were partners. Hence, that is how all the… stuff started to happen. We would often go to each other's houses to do the project. Honestly, we would have finished the whole thing in less than three hours, but we often got distracted and got off track with our work and ended up mucking around. We-" Mikan cut herself off when she looked at Natsume, who had his eyebrow raised at her.

"Hey, don't give me that look" she told him playfully. Natsume raised his hands above his head, acting innocent. After a few minutes of laughing, Mikan continued.

"Anyway, we got to know each other. We became really good friends, somewhat even best friends. Later within Middle school, I started to like him, and he liked me back. He ended up asking me out a month or so later. Very… predictable, isn't it? Anyway, we dated for about… what? Three to four months? Everything seemed perfect until I had to go away for the weekend. When I came back, one of his friends told me he had been going about making out with other girls. I was shocked about that, but then when he told me more, I felt like going up to Watanabe and punching him in the face, though, I wouldn't have dared to then. I would have been too scared."

Natsume raised his eyebrow again, "you. Scared of punching the guy in face?" he mocked. Mikan slapped his arm, laughing. "Oh, shut up. It was then, this is now."

"So, what else did he do, anyway?" asked Natsume. Mikan became quiet for a moment. After five minutes, she finally spoke.

"He, um, he never liked me. He was only using me for my popularity, not that he even needed it, anyway. But, what really ticked me off was… he used me for money. He, technically speaking, used my family. He played my feelings for m-mon-money and p-popularity" she choked out, tears slowly rolling down her cheek. Seeing this, Natsume went down and sat on the same stair as her and pulled her to him, and tried to make her feel better.

"Shh, shh, it's alright. You don't need to continue, sorry for asking" he said. After a few minutes, Mikan sat up straight and wiped her cheeks with the palm of her hand.

"Nah, it's alright" she muttered. "I don't mind. So, I found out the bastard was using me for money, popularity and, somehow, looks… um, don't tell anyone, but my parents own this big company, very well known, I won't tell you it's name is, but… yeah. I ended up telling Watanabe while we were doing our project. Big mistake, wasn't it? I swear, if you tell anyone, I promise you Natsume Hyuuga, your death will be moments after you tell someone as well as torturing and agonising. Got it?" she warned him.

"Hah, no problem, I promise. Continue" said Natsume.

"Okay, so I found out about all the shit he's been doing and all that, and I just… blew up- Bad. My grades a bit, I was pissed off as hell, about everything. I swear, I think everyone thought I was on my monthlys."

Natsume looked at her weirdly, obviously not liking the idea of mentioning the monthly thing. Mikan laughed because of his reaction and continued, "I kind of got over the Watanabe using me thing after a while, but the thing that _really _pissed me off was how I never knew. I never saw, blinded by all the shit he was doing to cover up. When I finally got some of my brain back, I realized that I needed to get back on track, so I did. I studied harder, my grades were better than ever, I sure showed Watanabe… Hah… Only thing was, he was still pissing me off. Coming up to me while I was studying, apologising, saying he'll never do it ever again. Ah, bullshit. Anyone would know that.

"So, after a while of putting up with it, I ended up just, needing to scream, but I couldn't, it was all locked up. I needed a break, so, I told my parents I needed to get out of school. And since I didn't want to go to another school, my parents decided for me to be home schooled, by Pe- uh, Serio Rei- my older brother. I told him what happened, he got pissed off, too, but he was always one to take it out on his training and stuff. Well, kind of. He suggested I take up martial arts or something. I thought it was interesting, so I asked him to teach me what he knew about- well, what he knew, pretty much.

"So, he taught me all he- well, _most _of all he knew. He never liked the idea of me being better than him, since he knew I was a fast learner." Natsume chuckled at her statement. He knew how _that_ felt like- not wanting anyone to be better than you.

"Anywho, yeah... I got through Middle school-kind of, started High School- kind of. Decided to go back to an actual school, met your guys, the Masked Ball stuff, went Central town with you, met him again, wanted to kill him, but obviously, I couldn't, all the stuff about headmaster, new student, Watanabe, I scream inside, job to take him to his dorm, you follow, fast forward, he's in his dorm, I told you about my history with Watanabe, and... NOW" she spoke, all in one deep breath.

Natsume and Mikan sat in silence until Natsume broke it, deciding to ease up the mood. "Wow, you really like to brag about yourself, don't you?" Mikan narrowed her eyes at him.

"What do you mean?"

Natsume raised an eyebrow at her, "Seriously? 'Amazing grades', 'fast learner'? Wow, you sure are full of yourself." Mikan cracked up laughing, leaning onto Natsume's arm. She leaned away and playfully slapped it.

"Shut up. Anyways, I'm off, bye Natsume!" and with that, she quickly headed off to her next destination- the Sakura tree. Natsume watched Mikan's retreating figure until it was out of sight before he stood up and headed to his room.

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><p>"NII-CHAN~ I'M SOORRYYY~" yelled out Mikan when she arrived at the Sakura tree. Persona grunted in response, obviously annoyed by her lateness, plus, about have she said before. Mikan pouted, though smiled when she thought of something that will have her brother forgiving her in no time.<p>

Mikan pounced on Persona, giving him a big bear hug. She looked up to him and gave him puppy dog eyes, hopeful for forgiveness. Persona rolled his eyes before speaking. "Alright, alright, get off me." Mikan quickly leaped off Persona and stepped back. "I called you hear because I have news for you" said Persona.

Hearing this, Mikan groaned. Persona raised an eyebrow, though dropped it moments later, and mutely asked her what was wrong. Mikan heaved a sigh before speaking.

"Please, don't tell me there aren't new kids that you want me to greet. I've had enough of them already" whined Mikan, recalling the moment when the Headmaster announced that he wanted her to 'make sure Watanabe fits in'.

"What could possibly be so bad?" asked Persona, amusement evident in his voice. Mikan scrunched (?) up her nose and glared at her older brother. She then let her face return back to normal and let out an exasperated sigh.

"No, I don't have any problems with new kids- It's just that a certain someone had me hate them for the rest of the week. New kids aren't so bad, but they are when it's someone you used to really care about, but they ended up ripping your heart out from your chess then played ping-pong with it and then put in into the shredder" she said, face showing no emotion.

Persona stood still, as if he had not been affected by what Mikan had said, though, up close, he was glaring hard with dark, cold eyes- obviously knowing who his little sister was talking about. After a moment, he finally spoke.

"Watanabe, eh?" he stated. Mikan gave a stiff nod, while Persona sighed. He then pushed the subject aside and went back to what he called her for.

"Anyway, back to topic- New students. I want you to-" Persona stopped speaking when he heard Mikan let out a depressed sigh. He turned around to see Mikan messing up her hair like a madwoman, causing him to sweat drop.

"Mikan" he said, sternly, effectively catching her attention. "I'm sure the new students will be quite upset if they hear that you aren't too happy to see them" he added.

Mikan gave him a questioning look, confused about who the new students are that her older brother would _actually _be bothered to introduce them to her. Her eyes widened when she remembered the time when she went Central town for her dresses for the Masked Ball and when her brother came to tell her about her mission.

"The new additions to the class?" she squealed, jumping around Persona. Persona waited for her to calm down until he spoke again.

"Alright, how long do you plan to make her wait?" he called out. As soon as he finished speaking, a boy and girl casually landed right in front of Mikan and Persona, as if they had dropped from the clouds.

Mikan's eyes widened. Persona was greeted by the two people greeted, who greeted back. "Daichi Nishimura, Hana Akaraki" greeted Persona. Next to him, Mikan stood still, with a huge smile on her face. She had her eyes locked on Hana Akaraki, as Hana had her eyes locked on Mikan with a huge smile on her face. They quickly ran and hugged each other and murmured how they missed each other. They then giggled like little girls, as if a hilarious joke had been told in class and they were to be in trouble if they made any noise.

After hugging Hana, Mikan stared at the boy that was leaning on the tree trunk casually. Mikan stared at him for a moment with a cheerful, somewhat hopeful smile for something. Mikan was waiting for the a-okay for her to hug him. When Daichi nodded, Mikan happy pounced on him and gave him a big bear hug.

"Keeeeeeeeen~ I've missed youuuuu~!" she cried out. She heard Daichi grunt at the name she called him. "You're still calling me 'Ken'? How annoying" he grunted. Mikan giggled as she got off him and stood back on flat ground.

"Well, you _are_ born of fire. It all makes sense" Mikan replied, cheekily. Daichi grumbled under his breath, saying how Mikan will never grow up. Mikan then turned back to her brother with a big smile on her face.

"Hah, I'm fine with _these_ new students, of course!" she brightly said. Persona replied a quick 'no shit, Sherlock' before continuing with business.

"Alright, show them to their rooms, the rooms are across yours- Room 5 is Hana's, room 6 is Daichi's. They will not have any star rank- that does not mean they are particularly a 'no star', they will merrily not have any rank, but, if any case they _do_ need star ranks, they are to be 3-star. You may go now" instructed Persona, before turning, ready to leave. He was only 2 and a half steps away from them when Mikan's voice stopped him in his tracks.

"Wait! Hold on, Nii-chan. One quick question- How come the room numbers are completely different? I mean, I just realised... My room is number 19, Natsume's is 27, and suddenly, Hana and Ken's rooms are 5 and 6. Why the different ranges of numbers?" asked Mikan. Persona merrily shrugged and answered as he resumed walking away,

"I don't know, but the school fucked up with numbers, that's all I know. Bye" and with that, Persona was gone.

Mikan turned around to Hana and Daichi, beaming. "Well..." she started off.

"Welcome to Gakuen Alice!"

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><p>Natsume was lying on his bed, facing the ceiling. He had been thinking about what Mikan had told him earlier on. 'She must have a really tough childhood' he thought, as he rolled over to his left. His eyes landed on a cupboard where he had locked something away long ago. He stared at the cupboard for a moment before heaving a sigh and got out of bed to get the key to unlock it. He looked through a few drawers before finding the key.<p>

Natsume looked at the key for a minute or two, wondering if he should open the cupboard or not. He suddenly thought of Mikan for some weird reason and decided to open it anyway.

He made his way over to the cupboard, held the key up and unlocked the door. He swung open the door and there, in front of him, what he had locked away for such a long time- his instruments. He had a guitar, a harp, a trumpet, violin, whatever almost everything. Letting out a small sigh, he walked over and picked it up and made his way to the couch in front of the television. He placed it on his lap, ready to play.

"Alright, let's see if I've still got it" he murmured to himself. After a few random strums, he started playing a random song out of nowhere. While playing, Mikan suddenly slipped into his mind. Natsume stopped playing and chuckled to himself. 'Aya... what the _hell_ is going on?' he asked himself. He stayed silent, blankly looking at the television screen in front of him. After a while, he decided to go visit Mikan. He placed his guitar next to his study table and walked out of his room to head to Mikan's room, hoping she would be there.

When Natsume was about to turn to walk to Mikan's room, he saw her walking up the stairs. He was about to speak when he saw two people that he had never seen before, walking behind her, so he decided to stay mute until she reached him. Natsume watched her happily chat with the two people. When Mikan finally realised Natsume, she smiled at him, as she always did. She approached him, followed by her, most likely, friends.

"Hey, Natsume, meet my friends. This is Hana Akaraki," she said, gesturing to a girl on her left. She then gestured to the person on her right and spoke, "and this is Daichi Nishimura... but I call him Ken" she quickly added, earning a glare from Daichi.

Natsume greeted them with a nod. Not bothered to talk, though, Mikan didn't seem to allow that. "So, Natsume, where were you heading to?" she asked. Natsume replied that he just decided to go over and visit her, having to be bored. Mikan let out a small 'oh', and all was silent for a while. Mikan then came up with something.

"Hey! How about this, why not come over to my room for a bit? We could all get to know each other more" she said, cheerfully. Hana and Daichi didn't seem to have a problem with it, though Natsume randomly had some sort of irritation inside of him. He had wanted to have time alone with Mikan only. He was planning to tell Mikan about all the instruments he knew how to play, since he knew how she liked it when he opened up to her.

'Guess it would have to wait' he thought, as he agreed.

"Sure, why not?" he answered, without a care. Mikan let out a cheer and skipped to her room, with Hana following not too far behind. Natsume and Daichi remained in the same spot, standing in front of Natsume's room. Mikan called out to them, telling them to hurry up. Being smart, they decided to walk. On the way, both boys gave each other random glares, for some random reason that they could not know the reason why themselves.

"You like her?" asked Daichi, nonchalantly. Natsume shrugged in reply. Natsume asked Daichi the same question, who also replied the same way. Both stopped walking and glared at each other before looking away and quickly making their way to Mikan's room, as if it were a race.

Having to be a few steps away from Mikan's room, Daichi jogged to Mikan's room. Behind, Natsume saw Mikan hug Daichi, telling him to hurry up. She then called out to Natsume to hurry up. Natsume grunted, not being able to get a hug from Mikan.

'Damn, what the hell's wrong with me?' he asked himself, as he closed Mikan's door and joined the group, who were seated in front of the television.

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><p>So, how was it? I swear, all the names for my own characters are completely random... <em>I got it off a baby naming website...<em>then I look at the meaning of the names..._  
><em>

Anyway, I didn't really re-read this and fix up any mistakes, so tell me if I did any mistakes.

**Please, REVIEW~**


	12. Natsume&Mikan moment &Watanabe

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also freer than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Only... Watanabe, Nishimura and Arakaki.**

And, I suck at grammar (:

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><p>It was a usual early school morning. Everyone was still in bed, sleeping soundly, having wonderful dreams- or nightmares.<p>

Mikan had woken up early as she does every day- at 4:30a.m. She hoped out of bed, lively as ever until she remembered Watanabe would be joining her class soon. She didn't know when he was going to join, but she had a feeling it was going to be today. Mikan heaved a depressed sigh and went to get ready for a hardcore running session.

Mikan came out in tights and a grey hooded jacket and went into her living-room-in-her-bedroom, suddenly thinking whether she should try some yoga. In the end, she decided to stick to go running to take out all her stress. She would have gone for boxing, but there wasn't a punching bag for her to imagine Watanabe's face. She did some quick warm ups before making her way out of her room and pulled her hoodie over her head and ran as soon as her feet touch the pavement.

After finishing 3 laps of the whole school, she looked at her watch on her right hand and shrugged. "Hm, less than two hours, good enough... still need to be faster though" she said to herself as she made her way to her room. She checked her watch again to see what time it was- 6:15a.m it said.

Making her way to her room, she stopped walking when she was in front of Natsume's room. Hearing him awake, she let out a smile, suddenly remembering how he reacted when he realised that she had kicked Watanabe down the hallway. She then remembered to start walking and continued on to her room. When Mikan reached her room, it was already 6:25a.m. Mikan decided to do one more activity. She turned and went to her walk-in closet and changed into a red tank top and grey shorts that had a light blue outline. She went out and walked onto her balcony and started what she wanted to do, and stood on the balcony railing. Before she started, she closed her eyes, let go of the railings and breathed in the fresh air. Finally, she started what she wanted to do.

Next door, Natsume had woken up at 6:15a.m, only, he wasn't bothered to get out of bed. He had woken up when he felt someone walking by. Natsume heaved a sigh and turned his head to his right to check what time it was. "6:25... hmm... might as well get out of bed" he murmured to himself. He got out of bed and decided to have a quick shower.

Five minuted later, he came out, hair went, in his school uniform _[A/N: Blehhhhh, not half naked- or in only a towel. Maybe next time (:]_. He walked around his room for a while until he decided to go out onto the balcony. When he went out onto his balcony, a sudden string of curses were heard, only for him to realise it came from himself.

"What the hell are you doing?" Natsume asked Mikan, trying to keep his voice calm. Though, what Mikan was doing wasn't really help. On the balcony next to him, Mikan was upside down, doing a handstand on the fucking balcony railings while doing the splits. You try acting calm with that- not to mention they were quite a few stories off the ground. One fall would make you go bye-bye.

Mikan turned her head towards Natsume and replied casually, "nothing much." She then let go of her left hand off the railing and started doing push ups... on the balcony railing, upside down. She then continued, "You want to come over?" she asked. Natsume gave a nod and jumped over to her balcony, keeping a keen eye on her, ready to catch her if she were to fall.

He continued to watch her as she swapped arms every now and again. Though, Mikan started pushing his patience to the limit when she start leaning her body over, off the balcony. Having her body facing inwards, Natsume was able to see her face. He was amazed by how calm and confident she was that he could help but comment. "You seem to be very confident in yourself, doing that, I mean, bending off the balcony... doing the bridge with your feet in mid-air... not seeming to be afraid to die... You don't know how to land if you fall, you're not a cat." Mikan then went back into a normal handstand, this time, to leaned her body towards her room (feet pointing towards her room), she then replied. "Well, I always do this. This is one of the things my older brother taught me."

Natsume stared in astonishment. Was her brother a psycho or what? He stayed silent for the rest of the time while she bent back and forth, worrying over every movement she made. Natsume shook his head, as if trying to get back into reality- he was worrying over her like a mother duck.

Finally, much to Natsume's unsure-about-why relief, Mikan stopped and set her feet back on the ground and made her way back into her room, with Natsume following. She walked into the living room and told him to make himself at home. She then asked him if he had breakfast yet, who replied that he had not.

"Alright then, I'll go into the kitchen and make pancakes. You okay with pancakes?" she asked. Natsume nodded, and spoke. "You know, often, a normal being wouldn't refuse to such an offer- Free food if often the bonus of the day, for most people." Mikan laughed and made her way to the kitchen.

She looked through her cupboards, swiftly collecting all the ingredients needed to make the batter for the pancakes. Within minutes, she had finished making the batter and had started pouring spoonfuls of batter onto the already heated pan.

Mikan was on her way to making the second plate of pancakes when Natsume entered the kitchen, standing at the doorway. Noticing him standing there, she spoke.

"Ah, Natsume, why not go watch some TV or something? Make yourself comfy, I'll be out in about 5 minutes" she told him. Natsume ignored her and made his way to Mikan and took the pan out of her hand and flipped the pancake. Mikan looked at him, confused.

"Eh? Natsume, what are you doing?" she asked. Natsume merrily shrugged and poured more batter onto the pan before turning around to face Mikan.

"You should get ready for class, I'll finish making breakfast" he told her, and turned around to flip the pancakes over. Behind him, Mikan beamed. She leaped onto Natsume and gave him a kiss on the cheek, thanking him before rushing to her closet to get her clothes and hurrying to the bathroom for a quick shower.

Mikan closed the bathroom door and leaned against it and slowly slid down onto the ground while placing her hand over her mouth. "What the _hell_ did I just do?" she murmured to herself, blushing. She then let the topic go and prepared to take a shower.

In the kitchen, Natsume was frozen. Did Mikan just _kiss him on his cheek_? His thoughts were cut by a sudden smell of something burning. He looked down at the fry pan and flipped the pancake over, only to see the pancake was burnt-horribly black. Natsume sighed and threw the pancakes into the bin and quickly poured more batter onto the pan to make new pancakes.

15 minutes later, Mikan came out of the bathroom wearing her school uniform with hair tied up in a pony tail, as usual, and joined Natsume at the living room. Mikan looked at the two plates in front of her for a moment, wondering which one was made by whom. She turned to Natsume and asked him which plate was the plate that he made. Natsume frowned, thinking that she wouldn't want to eat the plate he made. A little heartbroken, he pointed to her plate in front of him. Mikan nodded and took the plate, making Natsume die a little more inside- heartbroken.

Though, what Mikan did next, had him confused. "Here, take the plate" she told him. Mikan had taken the plateful of pancakes she made and had given it to him, and took the plateful made by him for herself. Natsume looked at her in confusion. Mikan grinned cheekily. "You don't think I'd let the chance to eat something cooked by you pass, did you?"

Natsume smirked as Mikan started digging in. Natsume inwardly smiled and started eating as well. 'Damn, these are good' he thought as he ate. He looked at Mikan and mutely asked her how the food was. Mikan beamed in reply- obviously a response. Natsume nodded, satisfied.

"How about you? How are your pancakes?" Mikan asked, curious.

"Horrible" replied Natsume, inwardly smirking.

"Mou, Natsume, you meanie!" Mikan exclaimed, putting her plate on the table and started slapping and punching his arm. Natsume couldn't help but chuckle a little bit, while blocking Mikan's attacks.

"Alright, alright. I was kidding! Relax, the pancakes are alright" said Natsume as he turned his body around to face Mikan. He could have sworn he saw an evil glint in Mikan's eye.

"Really?" she asked him, leaning closer to Natsume. Natsume replied with a stiff nod, feeling a little uncomfortable with her leaning over him. Mikan grinned and took the fork out of Natsume's hand and took a bite out of the pancake. Natsume's eyes widened and protectively held the rest of the pancakes away from her.

Natsume and Mikan had a small war, stealing each other's pancakes until all were gone, and they decided to make their way to class.

On their way to class, Natsume asked when Hana and Daichi were going to join their class. Mikan replied that they weren't going to join until next week. The rest of the trip to class was silent until they reached their class. They arrived to class only to realise they were half an hour early, so Mikan suggested they go to the Sakura tree to pass the time. Natsume nodded, agreeing.

Mikan and Natsume were heading towards the Sakura tree when they bumped into Ruka. Mikan looked at Ruka strangely. Ruka looked at his surroundings, wondering why Mikan was staring at him in such a way.

"Uh, Mikan-san... why are you- what are you looking at?" Ruka asked. Mikan slowly pointed to the thing in Ruka's arms. "What-who-uh... this is?" she stuttered. Ruka and Natsume looked at where Mikan was pointing. Ruka finally realised what Mikan was talking about and held out the rabbit in his arms, and introduced it.

"This is my rabbit, you haven't seen him because he's been sick these past few days, as well as lazy so, I didn't carry him around. I usually do." Mikan let out a small 'oh'. She was about to ask a few more random questions when she saw Hotaru, Anna, Nonoko and Sumire.

"Alright, I'm going to go now, see you in class, Natsume, Ruka-pyon!" she announced, as she made her way to her friends. Next to Natsume, Ruka's colour went a bit pale.

"Ruka... pyon?" Ruka asked himself. Natsume chuckled and patted Ruka's back.

"Don't worry, the nickname is, uh, cute..." said Natsume. Ruka glared at him for a moment before heaving a sigh, not bothered to bother anymore. "Yeah, whatever. Hey, Natsume, who do you plan to go to the Masked Ball with?" asked Ruka, suddenly. Natsume stayed silent, obvious that he never thought of it.

"Oh, come _on_ Natsume. Its next week!" cried Ruka. Natsume glared at his sapphire-eyed best friend. "You asked anyone out yet, Ruka?" Natsume shot back.

"I- uh- well, you know... with all the...stuff and..." Natsume raised an eye brow at Ruka, causing Ruka to look down at the ground and answer a quick no. Ruka then looked up and turned to his left. Natsume raised another eyebrow.

"But?" Natsume asked. Ruka looked down again, fiddling with his fingers, twirling his thumbs around each other and started sulking.

"I can't ask her! I think she'll say no... Or-or... she might have a date already anyway..." he sulked. Natsume let out an 'oh' and checked his watch, as if his friend wasn't creating puddles of tears on the ground.

"Come on, Ruka. Stop sulking. We should go, class is about to start" Natsume announced. Ruka stopped sulking immediately and nodded. They then headed towards their classroom.

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><p>"WHAT? SERIOUSLY? AHH, MY GOD!" exclaimed Mikan, Anna and Nonoko. Sumire had just told them the news about Mochu asking her to be his date to the Masked Ball. Mikan pulled Sumire onto her feet and started doing a happy dance, jumping in circles.<p>

"I'm so glad for you! Congrats, Sumire!" cried Mikan. A sudden 'BAKA' was heard. All heads turned towards Hotaru.

"Shut up, idiot. You're making it sound as if the girl's pregnant. Now, we should get to class. I don't want to be late. Class starts in 7 minutes." All nodded, and quickly made their way to class, scared to face Hotaru's wrath. Though, they still giggled and squealed in delight, obviously still thinking of the Masked Ball.

"Ne, Anna, Nonoko, who do you want to go with to the Masked Ball?" asked Mikan. Anna and Nonoko blushed at Mikan's sudden question.

"Well, I'm- I... no idea" Anna replied. Nonoko replied that she was the same. Mikan let out an 'oh' and pushed the topic aside, even though she already knew what her friends were thinking. They had reached the classroom and had opened the doors when Anna and Nonoko asked, "how about you, Mikan?" Mikan was about to answer when someone else spoke.

"What about Mikan?" All headed turned to the owner of the voice. Mikan stepped forward with a questioning look on her face.

"Eh? Ken? What are you doing here?" she asked. Daichi grumbled at the name Mikan called him.

"Stop calling by that dang name, woman" he told her. He then held up a clip board with sheets of paper clipped on it. "I'm going around giving the teachers this to sign, so they're informed that they are going to have new students" he said, nonchalantly.

Inside the classroom, all eyes were on them. All girls were staring at Mikan in envy, asking themselves why Mikan always got to hang out with the good looking guys.

"Ah, alright then. Get going you black haired, green-eyed, 185cm (about six feet one) tall, idiot" Mikan spoke, with her voice a bit louder than it was a moment ago. Daichi raised an eyebrow, though started to sweat drop as he realised what Mikan just did. He slowly turned around, and started too inwardly sulk as he saw the scene before him. All the girls, apart from Hotaru, had taken out a book or some sort and were writing in his name, as well as the details Mikan had just called out.

"Yay, I haven't even started yet and I've got girls going creepy over me, thanks" said Daichi, sarcastically. Mikan grinned at him cheekily before hugging him and bid him goodbye. Daichi murmured under his breath about Mikan being such an idiot as he waved back at Mikan.

Gracefully, Mikan made her way to her desk and sat next to Natsume, took out a book, and started reading, ignoring the stares from her fellow classmates. Feeling someone next to her, also staring at her, she removed her eyes from her book and looked up at the lad next to her.

"Yes?" she asked Natsume. Natsume shrugged and looked away for a moment. Mikan waited patiently for him to speak. "Nothing, just, you seem quite close to the Daichi guy" he said. Mikan smiled, for some unknown reason.

"Yes, we are quite close. Ken and I knew each other since we were 10, well, I was. He was 11...and a half, he always added the half in" Mikan added in, chuckling. She then continued, "He was there for me when... _that_ happened" she said.

Natsume stayed quiet for a moment. "Wait, isn't his name Daichi? Why do you call him 'Ken'? Do you have pet names for each other or something?" he asked, with a small feeling of jealousy burning inside of him just by the thought of it. 'What the hell is wrong with me?' he asked himself. He had asked the question for the 50th time every since Mikan and him started dancing together.

Next to him, Mikan laughed. "No, no. Nooo, you'll find out why I call him Ken when Hana and he come to our class" she said. Before she could say anything else, Narumi came in.

"Good morning my lovelies~ how are you this wonderful morning? Are you all well? I hope you are, now, stop talking and listen~" he said all at once. Mikan leaned in closer to Natsume and asked him quietly.

"Does he always act this way when he's about to make an announcement?" she asked, curiously. Natsume gave a nod, and stayed silent. Mikan then moved away and sat straight, preparing for the announcement, calming herself down, so she doesn't tear the school upside down.

"Alright, class! I have a special announcement~ we... have a new student!" Narumi announced. Students started calling out questions.

"IS IT A BOY?"

"IS IT A GIRL?"

"ARE THEY PRETTY?"

"GOOD LOOKING?"

"SMART?"

"It's a damn _fucking_ asshole" Mikan murmured.

Next to Natsume, Mikan was breathing in and out, pretty much meditating, trying to calm her mind with nice thoughts. Natsume turned to look at her, obviously amused. Mikan then opened her eyes and stared straight ahead. Natsume also turned to face the front.

"Let's all see for ourselves. Come in, please~" Narumi called out. The doors swung open as soon as Narumi called out. Slowly, someone walked in. Many of the girls in Mikan's class gasped at the god before them. Mikan quietly growled.

"Ok, everyone, this is Kattie-chan! Please introduce yourself fully" said Narumi. Watanabe sweat dropped at the name Narumi just called him.

"Uh, ok..." he said, awkwardly. He then faced the whole class, though, his eyes only locked with Mikan's, though, she wasn't really looking at him, she was facing him, but in her own world of 'pretty images'.

"Hello, I'm Watanabe Akatsuki- 17 years old. I'll be a new student here at Gakuen Alice from now on. Please take care of me."

Mikan broke the staring contest between them and looked at Natsume, asking him to save her for the next 10 minutes. Natsume looked at her, confused. Mikan did lots of random hand movements, hoping for Natsume to understand. Unfortunately, he didn't. Mikan sighed and used her thumb to point at Watanabe, then her, then, she then put up her left hand with her index finger up, and held up her right hand with her index finger up, making sure Natsume was looking at her hands. She then entwined her two fingers together. Natsume finally understand, letting out a small 'oh'.

"You could have might as well said so, yeesh, just tell me that you want me to save you and be your knight in shining armour and keep you away from being Watanabe's partner..." she heard Natsume mutter under his breath. Mikan quietly chuckled. Natsume looked at her, mutely asking her why she chuckled. Mikan waved her had, telling him not to bother, and looked back at the front of the room, waiting for Narumi to state something, and hope Natsume will save her.

"Alright, Kattie-chan. You will need to choose a partner" said Narumi. Watanabe grinned- making the girls, most of the girls, in Mikan's class put the back of their hands on their foreheads. Watanabe made his way to Mikan, slowly. Mikan showed a calm façade, though inside, she was going insane. She gave a quick glance at Natsume, who nodded and went back to reading his manga he had been reading ever since Watanabe walked in.

When Watanabe made his way next to Mikan, he put his arm around her and spoke. "I would like Mikan to be my partner, if there isn't any problem" he said, coolly.

Many comments were made, though, one stood out most.

"Actually, there is a problem- she's my partner." All heads turned towards the owner of the voice and were surprised when the realised who had said that.

"Eh? Mimi-chan is Natsume-chan's partner?" Narumi asked, dumbly. Natsume mentally rolled his eyes and, "Well, no shit, gay man. And don't call me with the dang 'chan'"

Everyone sweat dropped, while Narumi sulked at what Natsume called him. After a whole lot of awkward staring around the room, Narumi let out an awkward cough, catching the class's attention.

"Alright then, um, Natsu-cha... uh, Natsume, I'm sure she can have an extra partner for now, rig..." Narumi trailed off, suddenly scared shitless out of himself. At the moment, Mikan was glaring at him, a glare that might even be able to cause Persona to cough in order to get rid of some of the suffocating air around him. Narumi's knees were shaking and he had no idea what to do. He then looked at Mikan again, to see her using her eyes to communicate with him. After multiple attempts to make him understand, and not succeeding, she finally gave up.

She put her elbows in the table and put her head in her hands and murmured to herself, low enough so no one could hear her, "Ah, fuck it..."

Next her, Natsume watched her. He sighed, seeing he was unable to help her. 'How useless I am...' he thought to himself. He then turned back to Narumi when Narumi coughed again to gain their attention,

"I'm sorry, but I will have to put Kitty-chan with Mimi-chan" he said quietly. Mikan let out a depressed groan. Narumi sweat dropped and started fidgeting. There was something about her aura that made him feel guilty about putting Mimi-chan and Kitty-chan together. Narumi then snapped his fingers.

"Ah! How about this, Mimi-chan, Kitty-chan and Natsu-ch... Uh, Natsume with be partners. Together" and with that, Narumi quickly ran off, not skipping like he usually often did, after he announced a free period. Mikan let out a frustrated sigh before standing up. Watanabe and Natsume stood up also, ready to follow her outside. Though, Mikan turned back to them and held out her hand and pushed them down on the chairs- Watanabe sitting on Mikan's chair. She then turned away and started walking.

The whole class was silent for a moment, looking at whoever made a slight noise. Natsume sighed and stood up, catching the whole class's attention, and walked out to find Mikan. After a few minutes, Watanabe walked out, too.

'This is going to be interesting' the whole class thought.

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><p>Hello! I hope you enjoyed this chapter(:<p>

Please review~


	13. Unexpected events

**Please note before continuing on with the story.**

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

They are also freer than the actual manga/anime. They get a choice of staying at the academy or go home when they want. Unless certain circumstances make them stay at the academy.

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Only... Watanabe, Nishimura and Arakaki.**

And, I suck at grammar

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><p><strong>I swear, I have a sudden urge to change Youichi and Aoi's ages... T_T<strong>

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><p><em>Italics<em> are flashbacks (:

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><p>The whole class was silent after the trio left. All awkwardly looking at each other until Sumire finally broke the silence.<p>

"Hey, I just figured... what's the guy's alice? Wait... what's Mikan's alice as well? I don't think she ever told us..." she asked, her voice slowly trailing off.

All heads turned to Hotaru. Hotaru raised and elegant brow at them, causing the class to let out a sigh as they all took out 35 rabbits and handed it to Hotaru. After counting the money, she spoke.

"I can tell you Watanabe's alice, but do not expect anything about Mikan. Watanabe's alice is 'Dream manipulation'. Allowing him to make us dream of what he wants us to dream about- kind of like Yuu's illusion alice, only, his alice is for... obviously dreams."

A few 'ohs' were heard throughout the class, some slowly turned back to whatever they were doing, while some stayed as they were. Ruka slowly turned to Hotaru and quietly asked, "um, Imai-san... why is it that you can't tell us about Mikan?"

Hotaru stared at him for a moment before turning back to her invention. Thinking she wouldn't answer, he turned back, only to look at Hotaru again when she spoke. "It's not that I 'can't' tell you- it's more of 'I won't tell you because I don't want to'" she replied. Ruka nodded, understanding, before standing up to walk out of the class.

After Ruka left, Hotaru stopped working on her invention and closed her eyes, letting out a sigh. She was worried about her best friend. Why was life so unfair for her? Hotaru then took out her Baka Gun and shot Koko.

"Don't read my mind, idiot" she told him while glaring at the lad.

"Y-y-y-yes, Imai-san" he stuttered. Hotaru gave him one last glare before turning her attention back to her invention.

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><p>Mikan was at her favourite Sakura Tree, looking up at the clear, blue sky and sighed. Why did life have to be such a bitch to her? She sat there, looking at the swaying leaves on the trees that looked so interesting to her under the clear, bright sky. All was interrupted when she heard someone approaching. She quickly leaned against the tree trunk of the Sakura Tree and pretended to be asleep.<p>

'I feel Natsume's presence... Not sure if it is though...' she thought.

When the person was about six steps away from her, the person stopped mid pace and sighed. 'That sounded like Natsume' Mikan thought, now sure that it was Natsume. Natsume continued making his way to her and stood in front of her, looking down at her for a moment. He then sighed again and sat next to her, on her left and leaned against the tree himself. He turned to look at Mikan and moved her head so it could rest on his shoulder. He then took out his iPod from his pocket and turned it on and started listening to it.

After a few minutes, Mikan decided to 'wake up'. She stirred a little bit, and let her acting skills kick in.

Natsume suddenly felt Mikan stir next to him. He turned his head to look at her as he slowly sat up by herself and started looking around- cutely might he add. Mikan turned around to look at Natsume. When she saw him, she smiled. Natsume couldn't help but smile inwardly.

"Hey, why are you here?" she asked him. Natsume didn't even bother answering and just continued reading his manga and listening to his music. Mikan smiled and leaned against the trunk of the tree, looking up at the clear sky.

After a few minutes of silence, Mikan turned her head a little bit to look at Natsume. She then leaned over and took his earphones and removed them from his iPod, making Natsume from, and took out her own and plugged Natsume's earphones into her iPod.

"Oi, what are you doing, little girl?" Natsume asked, with his eyebrow raised. Mikan merely chose a song from her iPod and offered Natsume one of his earphones as she rested her head on Natsume's shoulder.

Natsume rolled his eyes and took the earphone out of her hand. "You getting comfy aye, Polka?" he said. Mikan looked at him with wide eyes.

"What the hell! You still remember? You pervert!" she exclaimed. "And I'm not wearing polka-dots today" she said, crossing her arms over her chest, trying her best to glare at Natsume.

Natsume smirked. "Yeah, I can see that. It's Strawberries today, huh?"

Mikan's face almost blew up with embarrassment, and unconsciously pulled her skirt down, trying to make it longer. "YOU DAMN PERVERT!" she cried. And with a final 'humph', she calmed down and slowly drifted off to dreamland, already forgetting what happened a moment ago. Natsume couldn't help but raise his eyebrow at her.

Letting out a sigh, he turned his attention to his manga for a while before heaving another sigh, looking at the beauty next to him and decided to take a rest as well. Only, his rest was interrupted earlier than he wanted it to. Taking a quick glance, he saw some people slowly coming out of classrooms and making their way where he and Mikan were.

He quickly picked Mikan up, bridal style and started walking, with the earphones in their ear.

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><p>Watanabe had made his way to his room moments after Mikan and Natsume walked out of the classroom, and was currently sitting on his bed, with his face rested on the palms of his hands. Moments ago, he was walking around is 3-star room, messing his hair trying to think straight- which didn't really work out well.<p>

Heaving a sigh _[A/N: wow... everyone keeps sighing all of a sudden... o.o]_ he got off his bed and walked over to his bedroom window, only to see Natsume carrying Mikan, bridal style, since she was asleep. Not being able to turn away, he continued to watch Mikan in Natsume's arms.

"I guess I've got good competition, then" he muttered to himself, with a sudden thought coming to him. His dream alice. 'Maybe... I'll let her remember the good times we had, all the perfect times, the times she loved and when she used to watch me...' he thought.

He made his way over to the couch and closed his eyes and activated his alice, slowly controlling Mikan's dreams.

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><p>"<em>Hey, um... Mikan-chan... I've uh...well, you see..." Watanabe stuttered, while Mikan stared at him in confusion.<em>

"_Yes? Katsu-chan?" she asked him. Watanabe couldn't help but smile at how dense and cute she was. With a deep breath, he spoke._

"_Will you please be my girlfriend?" he quickly asked, hoping that Mikan had been able to understand him- which she did... only, she wanted to tease him._

"_Eh? What was that, Katsu-chan? Can you please speak slower?"_

_Watanabe blushed. 'Damn' he thought._

"_Um, uh... ok... Mikan-chan... will you please... be my..." Watanabe be paused for a moment before continuing, "Uh, my girlfriend?" he asked, obviously nervous._

_Mikan beamed and jumped onto Watanabe, giving him a big bear hug. After a long moment of laughing and hugging, Watanabe spoke,_

"_Mikan... I lo-"_

Mikan suddenly woke up from the, what she calls, a nightmare. Only, when she woke up she was frightened by another sight before her- Natsume's face. Well, not really, it was actually how close his face was to hers.

Feeling Mikan move in his arms, he looked down to see her wide away. And he could have sworn that for a second she looked at him as if he were some hideous monster, which, he knew, will never be true- for he shall forever he gorgeous, even at the age of 70. He then snapped out of it and payed his attention to Mikan, who was frowning- obviously in a deep thought.

"What are you thinking about, Polka?" he asked. Mikan blushed for a millisecond before glaring at him for using the nickname he gave her.

"Whatever, Pervert. It was just... this dream I had about- that damn freaking bastard!" Mikan started yelling and kicking around like a maniac in Natsume's arms, trying to get him to put her back on the ground- only, he didn't budge and continued carrying her.

"Oi, Little girl, what are you doing? Do you want me to drop you and let you fall?" he asked. Mikan continued to curse under her breath for a while before finally calming down. When she finally calmed down, and he found it safe enough to comment, he did.

"That... was not you- I mean- that was you but... what the hell happened, Polka?" he asked her, curiously. Mikan grumbled under her breath about 'will kill', 'chop him up', and 'slowly burn him', causing Natsume to sweat drop.

"Oi, Little girl, I'm being nice at the moment, so make it worthwhile" he told her, slowly losing his patience. Mikan stopped and looked up at him and sensed Natsume patience slowly disappearing, she decided to tell him.

"Ok, so...actually, I'll tell you later, ok?" Natsume agreed and they both stayed silent. Not bothered to hold her head up, Mikan leaned her head back onto Natsume's chest. Seeing this, Natsume couldn't help but smirk.

"Getting comfy, aren't we, Polka dots?"

Mikan blushed and hid her face in Natsume's chest to hide it (her blush). While Natsume inwardly smirked, trying his best not to laugh.

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><p>They were in the hallway where their rooms were, when Daichi and Hana came out of their own rooms and approach Mikan and Natsume.<p>

"Hey, Mikan" Hana greeted, along with Daichi, they then turned to Natsume and greeted him as well, who replied with a nod.

"Hey, Hana, Ken~" Mikan exclaimed. Though, she was confused when she read their worried faces. "Ne, what's wrong?" she asked, worried herself. Hana took the role in answering.

"Mikan... are you ok? Are you hurt?"

Mikan looked around, checking herself for any cuts and bruises. "No, why do you ask?"

"Why's Hyuuga carrying you, then?" Daichi asked, nonchalantly. Mikan blushed while Natsume took the role in answering (wow...). "Why ask? Got a problem?"

Daichi scoffed and dug his hands into his pockets before answering. "No. But, why don't I carry her?" he said, holding out his hands, ready to carry Mikan. Only, for Natsume to hold her away and reply, "No need." Daichi narrowed his eyes.

"You sure, _Red eyes_?" Daichi asked, trying to provoke Natsume.

"I'm quite capable, thanks, _Green eyes_" replied Natsume, narrowing his eyes. The two continued to glare at each other, that they didn't even notice Mikan slip out of Natsume's arms to walk over to Hana, who was calling her over to tell her something.

When Mikan came back after her talk with Hana, the two boys were still glaring at each other. Deciding to be nice for a while, she let them glare at each other for a while longer before heaving a sigh and turned to Hana, mutely telling her to drag Daichi away from Natsume. On the count of three, Mikan burst out, shouting.

"ALRIGHT ALREADY! We're going now!" she announced, grabbing Natsume's hand and dragged him away. She turned around and gave Hana and Daichi a final bye.

"Goodbye, Hana, goodbye, KEEEN!" she called out, happily, who replied with a wave. Next to her, Natsume grunted at how happy and energetic she talks to them- especially Daichi.

Mikan dragged Natsume to her room, slammed the door shut, dragged him over to the couch in front of the television, turned it on and handed him the remote. She then told him she was going to get a snack and made her way to the kitchen.

_Flashback_

"_Ne, Mikan, meet Persona at the Northern Forest in about an hour and a half from now. We have a mission" Hana told her. Mikan raised her eyebrow._

"_We?" she asked. Hana nodded. "Yes, 'we'. Me, you, Daichi and Hyuuga- all of us." Mikan let out a small 'oh' before nodding, showing that she understood._

"_Alright then, we should go back to the boys before they burn up the place" Mikan joked. Hana quietly chuckled as they made their way back to Daichi and Natsume._

_End of flashback_

Mikan let out a sigh. "Another mission, eh? I hope it's nothing too big..." she then giggled at how Natsume and Daichi were earlier. "What does Natsume have against Ken, anyway? Hm..." She then pushed the thought aside and started searching through her cupboards in her kitchen to see what's there to eat.

When she came out of the kitchen, Natsume was flipping through channels, still trying to find something good to watch. Natsume turned around and sweat dropped when he saw the amount of food on Mikan's plate. 'Wow, can she really eat all that?' he wondered to himself as Mikan plopped herself on the couch next to Natsume and took the remote out of Natsume's hand and switched to a Korean drama that was currently on.

"There is no way that I am going to watch this" said Natsume, snatching the remote out of Mikan's hands. Mikan frowned and snatched the remote back and hid it. Rolling his eyes, not bothering anymore, he took a cake from Mikan's plate full of food, making Mikan glare at him and hold her plate away from him protectively.

"Get your own plate, Natsume!" she cried. Natsume merely took another cake and ate it before replying. "No, not bothered." Mikan glowered at the boy next to her, still trying to keep her plate away from Natsume. In the end, Mikan would take a huge bite out of every cake that Natsume took and let him the rest to eat- which was often of ¾ of the cake. After Mikan ate the final, complete, all-still-there cake that Natsume let her have, she leaned her head onto his shoulder and gave him the television remote.

"Hah, I don't want it. I just wanted to annoy you" he said. Mikan laughed.

"I know" she said, as she threw the remote aside. After a silent moment of watching television, Natsume remembered something.

"Oi, you're meant to tell me what your problem was back then" he said, bluntly. Mikan heaved a sigh and leaned off Natsume's shoulder.

"Fine. It wasn't much, but it annoys the hell out of me when I let something slip pass me. Watanabe has the Dream alice, letting him control what we dream about. He can make us dream about what he wants even. That's what he did to me when I was sleeping. He... uh, he made me dream –but I would rather say nightmare, but anyway- he made me dream about the time he confessed to me... it annoys the hell out of me!"

"Calm down, Polka, how could you have prevented him from working his alice on you? Don't worry" Natsume told her, trying to get her to not be so hard on herself. When Mikan let out a sigh, he knew there was something else that she was to tell him. "What is it, Polka?" he asked her, with his eyebrow raised. He dropped his eyebrow as Mikan stood up from the couch and stood in front of him.

"Natsume... I haven't yet told anyone about my alice, have I? The only person in the class that knows my alice is Hotaru, obviously, being my best friend and all..." she trailed off. Natsume stayed silent, waiting for her to continue. "My alice... is the... Nullification alice" she spoke, slowly, as if knowing it would take time for Natsume to process six words. After finally snapped out of daze.

"Really?" he asked. Mikan nodded in confirmation, cautiously watching Natsume. Then, as if to test her, Natsume threw a flame at her, who nullified it immediately.

"I see... so, nullification alice, huh? No wonder you were so pissed off" said Natsume. Mikan then sat back down on the couch and leaned on Natsume and watched TV. Both stayed silent until Mikan asked Natsume why he's so irritated by Ken. Natsume stayed silent, not sure why himself.

"I don't know. Hey, why do you call him 'Ken' anyway? Isn't his name 'Daichi'? Tell me. I'm fascinated by it" he spoke, sarcastically. Mikan couldn't help but laugh.

"Hah, right, you don't know Hana and Daichi's alice either, don't you? Hm... What does 'Ken' mean, then?" she asked him. Natsume thought for a while. 'Born of fire...' he realised.

"Born of fire?" he questioned her. Mikan gave him a bright smile and nodded. "Yup! That's why I call him that. Alice of fire- but his flames are green"

"Tch, figures" said Natsume. Mikan raised an elegant brow and dropped it moments later and continued. "But, he also has the mind reading and x-ray vision alice"

"Multi alice. I'm guessing Arakaki is as well" assumed Natsume. Mikan nodded again and spoke. "Yeah, Hana has the Barrier, mind reading and teleporting alice." Natsume stared at the girl next to him for a moment.

"Are you _sure_ you don't have an alice other than nullification? Cause you sure like to make friends that are multi alices" said Natsume. Mikan giggled, but then turned serious. "I... you'll... yes, I'm a multi alice as well, but it is not time for you to find out too much about me, I'm sorry" she spoke, softly.

"Hn" was all Natsume replied as he turned his head back to the TV while Mikan leaned her head back onto Natsume's shoulder.

"By the way, I'm going to have Narumi change your performances to two dances, first and last dance song and one song in between"

"Oh, ok, Natsume. Hey, Natsume?" she asked, leaning off Natsume's shoulder.

"Hn"

"Sing a song with me, on the day- like, perform with me- sing" she told him. Only to be replied with a straight forward, "Hello no" Mikan pouted.

"AW, COME ON! Please?"

"No"

"PLEASE!"

"No way, Polka"

"Don't be mean!"

"I said 'No way', Strawberries" Natsume said, firmly. Mikan pouted and tugged on her skirt, trying to make it longer, then grabbed the TV remote and crossed her arms over her chest and pouted.

'Damn, she's cute like tha- whoa...whoa... focus, don't fall for it...don't fall for it...don't- ah, screw it' he thought, and let out a final sigh, catching Mikan's attention.

"Please, Natsume?" she asked him, giving him puppy dog eyes. Natsume rolled his eyes. "Fine" he replied, making Mikan smile brightly at him. After moments of silent victory, she leaned back on his shoulder, giving him the TV remote and slowly drifted to sleep, this time, making sure her nullification alice was up, so she wouldn't have to face another nightmare.

Moments after, Mikan was fast asleep. Natsume turned his head to look at the girl leaning on him and softly muttered, "seriously, what am I going to do with you?" before he reached for the remote control that he had set aside a moment ago and turned off the TV, and decided to join Mikan for a nap, leaning his head on top of hers.

Meanwhile, Hotaru had been watching the whole time on the screen above her desk, where her camera was catching everything that was happening and often rolled her eyes at the scene before her. "Seriously, you dense idiots. Realise your feelings for each other already" she muttered as she turned around to face whoever entered her lab.

"Ah, it's you, Nogi. What do you want, Bunny boy?" she asked him, turning around again to focus on her invention.

"Nothing, I was just wondering if..." his voice trailed off as he saw the screen on top of inventor's desk. The screen showed Mikan and Natsume together, sleeping peacefully. 'Oh, she does have someone already...' Ruka thought. 'And I was building up the courage to ask her to be my partner to the Masked Ball today...' Hotaru's voice was what broke him out of his daze.

"Oi, Nogi, what do you want?" she asked, impatiently. Ruka hesitated for a moment before quickly telling her he was offering to help her with her inventions. Hotaru stared at him for a while before turning back to her invention and told him to get her, her tools. They worked in silence until Ruka spoke. "Hey, are you going to the Masked Ball?" he asked.

"Of course, idiot. It's my chance to capture certain moments that could happen. The school hired me to take photos for the day as well" she replied, nonchalantly, focusing on the thing in front of her.

"Oh, ok... do you have a partner?" he asked her. Hotaru replied that she didn't, still not getting where Ruka was going with the topic. Neither did Ruka know himself. But suddenly, he blurted out something that he didn't think he ever would.

"Imai, would you please be my partner for the Masked Ball?" he blurted out, unexpectedly. Hotaru, herself, was a little bit surprise. Though, she quickly composed herself and replied with a quick 'yes' and told Ruka to make her a cup of tea. Ruka happily obliged and quickly went to make Hotaru some tea with a goofy smile on his face.

"I guess I still have some luck on my side, after all" Ruka said to himself.

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><p>Hello again~<p>

Please excuse any horrible grammar or spelling. My brain wasn't functioning properly when I was typing up this chapter. I had been working on my History assignment about the Plague *shudder* as interesting as it is, I hate the visual images it gives me. Nasty.

Anyway, I hope you enjoyed this chapter! I'm trying to add more scenes of others every now and then instead of it always being Natsume and Mikan.

**PLEASE REVIEW**~ Tell me what you thought about this chapter(:


	14. Too bad Natsume didn't know that

Please note before continuing on with the story.

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

And, I suck at grammar

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><p><em>Italics are flashback (I might tell you beforehand, but at times… yeah…)<em>

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><p><em><strong>"Italics + bold"<strong>_ are telepathic messages.

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><p>Nonoko had left the classroom to take a walk around the school when she suddenly decided to go to Central town to pass the time. So, she went back to class and asked Anna if she wanted to go with her.<p>

"Hey, Anna, do you want to come with me to Central Town?" she asked. She let out a small 'oh' when Anna replied that she was going to go with Yuu. She then waved good bye to Anna and went to find someone else. Anna couldn't come, so she decided to go ask Sumire, only to see her busy working on something. Heaving a sigh, she turned around and continued to think. Who would be available to go to Central Town with her? Anna was already going with Yuu, Sumire's busy and she wouldn't even bother to go near Mikan, having the feeling that she was probably hanging out with Natsume somewhere.

She turned and walked to the hallway where the lockers were, leisurely and mindlessly walking in the middle of the hallway that she bumped into someone that was also walking without looking. She was about to fall on ground when she felt someone catch her. She looked up to see Koko, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Uh, hi, sorry about that, I wasn't looking at where I was going…" he apologised to her. Nonoko couldn't help but laugh at his awkwardness. "Koko, it's alright. I wasn't looking at where I was going either. We'll call it even" she said, smiling. Koko smiled in return, dug his hands into his pockets and leaned on one of the lockers and spoke,

"So, what were you thinking about?" he asked casually. Nonoko raised an elegant brow at him. "Did you seriously ask me that, Mind reader?" she asked him. Koko shrugged.

"Well, I don't always go around peeking into people's mind. I only do that…most of the time. The rest of the time, I try to look into my own mind, wondering about random stuff, like, how would the world be like if pigs suddenly flew"

Nonoko burst out laughing. "Hah, that's… I never thought of that before… Hm…" she trailed off. She then shook it off and decided to answer Koko's question.

"Anyway, I was planning to go to Central Town. Only, no one's available to go. I asked Anna, but she's going with someone else, Sumire's busy doing some kind of work- most likely thinking about her outfit for the Masked Ball next Friday, and I wouldn't even bother asked Mikan, knowing Natsume would be somewhere with her" she told him. Koko nodded and leaned off the locker and grabbed Nonoko's hand and started dragging her somewhere.

"Hey! Hey, Koko, Where are you- where are we going?" she called out, struggling to get her balance right. Koko suddenly stopped, causing her to hit her head on Koko's back. Koko turned around and replied, "Well, you want to go to Central Town, right? So let's go!" he told her, enthusiastically, and continued to drag her to the bus stop that takes students to Central Town. Nonoko smiled and jogged in order to keep up with Koko's long legs.

Koko and Nonoko were 10 minutes early for the next bus to come, so they decided to relax a little bit. They were talking about random things when they spotted Anna and Yuu looking down at a notebook. They decided to go over to them. Anna and Yuu looked up when they heard someone calling their name. They turned to see Nonoko and Koko jogging towards them. They smiled at them, and greeted them.

"Hey, Anna, hey, Yuu" Nonoko and Koko greeted back as they then looked down at the notebook Yuu was holding and then looked up and gave Anna and Yuu a questioning look, mutely asked then what they were looking at. Yuu took the role in answering.

"We're figuring out a few things for the Masked Ball, adding in a few final touches to the plans before we actually start decorating the auditorium for the Masked Ball. We're also going to go around and look for different designs for masks" he told them. Just as he finished, the bus came. Yuu and Koko let Anna and Nonoko go on first before hopping onto the bus themselves. Anna and Yuu sat on the left side on the bus while Nonoko sat on the right side of the bus (when you walk into the bus, walking in the walkway- that left and right), Anna and Nonoko both taking the seat next to the window, while Yuu and Koko were next to each other, only separated by the walkway in the bus.

While Anna was busy looking through the notebook and writing down notes and Nonoko was looking out the window, busy daydreaming, Yuu and Koko decided to talk to each other.

"The Masked Ball's next Friday, isn't it" Koko said, more like a statement than a question. Though, Yuu answered anyway with, "yeah, it's next week."

Koko suddenly thought of something. "You know what I don't understand? I don't get why Narumi introduced Watanabe Akatsuki into our class today, it's already the end of the week… could have waited a few more days" Yuu nodded in agreement.

"Yeah, I was wondering that, too. Watanabe-san seemed to have some sort of history with Mikan-san…"

Then, something clicked in Koko's mind. "Hey, we never knew Mikan's surname, did we? We were only introduced her first name." Yuu thought for a moment before realising it as well.

"Yeah... Never thought of that, I wonder why she didn't tell us her last name..." Yuu wondered to himself, aloud. As soon as Yuu said that, he suddenly sweat dropped, realising what he just did. 'Koko's going to start making random scenarios again...' he thought, sweat dropping.

"Hm... MAYBE, she's the daughter of a celebrity that we all know, and she doesn't want attention!" Koko suggested. Yuu only shook his head as Koko continued.

"Or, she could be some sort of terrorist, and everyone only knows her last name!" Koko exclaimed. Yuu sweat dropped.

"Uh, I doubt it... Koko..." he spoke. "Yeah, you're right..." Koko said, thinking. "Maybe, she's an undercover agent that uses part of her last name to be her agent name! Maybe, she could also be an assassin!" he exclaimed, then, he added, "I wouldn't be surprised if she were an assassin, with that body... whoa... I'm sure no man would mind dying, having that as the last thing for them to see..."

Yuu frowned and looked at Koko weirdly. Who knew the mind reader was such a weird pervert? Hah.

"Well, Koko," Yuu started off, as he pushed his glasses up, "I don't think she would be an undercover agent, nor an assassin... I also, uh, never knew you would have such... uh, interesting scenarios" Yuu spoke, awkwardly. He didn't like the idea of having someone talk about a classmate of his in such a way, it was plain rude and mean. At the same time, he was wondering how the other people in the bus weren't able to hear their conversation.

Koko nodded a couple of times before letting the subject drop. Minutes later, he asked Yuu if he had a partner to go to the Masked Ball with. Yuu replied that he would be too busy and he might not even be able to go to the Masked Ball, having all the studies that he wanted to do.

Koko raised an eyebrow. "You _want_ to do? The studies you _want_ to do" he repeated. "Do you _need_ to do them?" Koko asked. Yuu stuttered for a while before answering a silent 'no'. Koko cheekily grinned and leaned over his seat to lean closer to Yuu. "So then, who are you going to invite to the Masked Ball?" Koko asked Yuu, still having the grin on his face. Yuu stayed quiet and thought for a moment before answering he had not a clue who to invite to the Masked Ball.

Koko thought for a moment before letting a smirk slowly appear on his face. Seeing this, Yuu started to feel weird. He then saw Koko look past his shoulder with the wide smirk on his face. Yuu turned around and looked where Koko was looking. It was obvious Koko was only looking at one person. Yuu turned his head around to look at the pink haired girl seat next to him who was currently in her thinking position with the top of the pencil on her chin, and her right elbow on the frame of the window of the bus.

Yuu quickly turned around and stared back at Koko, who was smirking. "You read my mind didn't you" Yuu stated (TT_TT). Koko, still having the devilish smirk on his face, nodded as he back up again, leaning his back on the seat again. There was silence for a few minutes when Koko hear Yuu mutter a small "fine"

Koko face Yuu to start rubbing in his victory, only, when he faced Yuu, he saw Yuu looking past his own shoulder, exactly like what he had done to Yuu when he was thinking of who would be Yuu's partner. Koko sweat dropped. 'No way' he thought. Koko slowly turned his head to face the blue haired girl next to him for a moment before turning back a devilish-looking Yuu Tobita. Koko couldn't help but sweat drop.

After a short staring contest, Koko heaved a sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. "Yeah, yeah" he muttered, not liking the fact that he was caught.

Moments later, the bus arrived at Central Town. Koko and Yuu stepped back to Anna and Nonoko could walk out first before walking out themselves. Later, they then parted ways. Koko and Nonoko headed to a cafe to eat, since Koko was hungry while Anna and Yuu started to go around, searching for designs and masks.

* * *

><p>Natsume woke up to the sound of some of the students yelling, laughing and shouting. Sitting up properly, he heaved a sigh and rubbed his eyes before standing up and headed towards the study table to get some paper to write down the performances that Mikan would be doing for the Masked Ball. He was about to take a seat and list the performances down, something caught his eye- a draw.<p>

'Hm, this looks similar to the draw that I have... The one that is given to the people who do mission, so they can put their masks and stuff in... It looks similar...' Natsume thought. Though, he decided to push the subject aside and went back to the study table to quickly list the performances down.

After he finished writing, he stood up and tucked his chair back in. He was about to leave when he suddenly thought about the draw again. He turned back and headed towards it. 'There's a special way to open the draw... I wonder...' he wondered to himself. Slowly, he placed his hand on the draw. He was about to open it when someone suddenly opened the door. Quickly turning around, Natsume saw Daichi standing there, leaning on the door frame.

"What is it?" Natsume asked. Daichi merrily shrugged before answering.

"Persona calls for another job- go to the Northern Forest" he said, nonchalantly before disappearing. Natsume stood there in silence, wondering how he knew Persona. Though, he face palmed himself when he remembered one of the guy's alice- Fire. 'Of course he would know Persona, then' Natsume muttered to himself. Then, he quickly left, not caring about the draw anymore and went to his room to get his mask before going to the Northern Forest.

As soon as Natsume shut the door and opened the door to his room, Mikan had woken up. Actually, she was awake even before Natsume woke up. She just wasn't bothered to get up.

Mikan quickly hopped onto her feet and headed to her closet to get ready. She opened her closet door, went in and closed in behind her. About five minutes later, she went out in a black skirt and a light blue blouse with the sleeves rolled up to her elbows. Her hair was in a low ponytail, swung onto her right shoulder. She then headed over to her draw with all her mission things and put her hand on it and closed her eyes, and concentrating. The draw opened, revealing her mask, three golden armbands, three earrings, and two pairs of shoes- Black patent Glint heel boots and Black Kerfield Suede and Mesh Boots.

After putting on her three alice control armbands on her right bicep, light blue earring on her right earlobe and two golden earrings on her left earlobe, she stepped back and stared at the two shoes, wondering which pair to wear. After a minute, she decided to choose the Black Kerfield Suede and Mesh boots. After putting the shoes on, she picked up her mask and made her way to the balcony. She stared at the view for a few minutes and quickly remembered something. She rushed back into her room and opened the draw filled with her mission stuff and look out a packet of tablets.

Holding up the packet at eye-level, she had a disgusted look on her face. She was never one to like tablets. Not bothering to get water, she opened the bag and popped a tablet in her mouth and swallowed it, before gagging over how disgusting the taste was. 'God, I'm going to hate this' she thought.

_-Flashback-_

"_Ne, Hotaru, I need-" Mikan started off, only to be cut off by Hotaru._

"_It'll cost you" Hotaru spoke, not bothered to look up from her invention. Mikan sulked as she pulled out her purse full of money ready._

"_Alright… Um, I need something… that will change my voice a bit. So, Natsume won't recognise my voice, since I always have to make sure my voice sounds different all the time, and I'm worried that I might slip sometime soon. Can you make some sort of tablet or something, which changes my voice for a whole day?" Mikan asked. Hotaru looked up from her invention and started thinking- her mind already processing on how to make whatever Mikan wanted._

_After a few minutes, Hotaru snapped out of it and gave a small nod. Mikan smiled, but it soon disappeared when she realised it will probably cost her A LOT._

"_How much will it be, Hotaru?" Mikan asked, sulking._

"_It'll be…" Hotaru trailed off, making Mikan more anxious. "It'll be 650 rabbits per packet"_

_Mikan let out a relieved sigh. "Thank goodness, I thought it'll be much more than that…" she murmured. Then, suddenly, something struck her. "Wait, Hotaru… how big is the packet?" she asked, anxiously. She sweat dropped when Hotaru nonchalantly held up a small bag- only big enough to fill about 8 tablets- 10 at most._

"_Oh geez…" Mikan muttered, as she opened her purse to get out the money. Though, she stopped for a moment and looked back at Hotaru who was already working on the tablets._

"_Ne, Hotaru?" she called out. Hotaru didn't answer, though, Mikan knew that she was listening. "Hotaru, I need the tablets to last the whole day, as I said before, but, I need to stop when I need to it. So, like… uh, do you know what I mean?" she asked, hoping she explained to good enough for Hotaru to understand._

"_So you want the tablet to last for the whole day, but when you do something, your voice will go back to normal. I got it" Hotaru said, as she finished off the last thing need and turned around with a small packet of tablets in her hand. Mikan smiled and took out her money. "You know, I don't know why you're coming to me for this… isn't Nonoko the one to be making the chemicals" Hotaru stated in a bored tone. Mikan didn't bother to answer since she knew Hotaru was just saying that for the heck of it._

"_Anyway, in order to get your voice back, you're going to have to…" Hotaru told her. When Mikan heard this, Mikan's eyes widened._

_-End of Flashback-_

After taking the tablet, Mikan headed back out onto the balcony and spread out her arms and breathed in the fresh air.

"Well, this is going to be interesting" she said to no one in particular. She then smiled when she heard her voice. Her voice had changed into the huskier kind of voice that she used to talk when she was 'Sakura Kana'. She liked it. 'Hotaru never fails' Mikan thought, still smiling. She then got ready and just onto the tree branch that was near her balcony and continued to jump onto another tree, making her way to the Northern Forest where the meeting, that her older brother called for, would start in less than ten minutes.

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><p>Natsume had already reached the Northern Forest and saw no one in sight. He heaved a sigh and went over to a tree and leaned on it.<p>

Exactly five minutes before the meeting was about to start, two people landed onto the ground about three meters away from him. They were wearing masks as well. Only, unlike his mask which covered his whole face, their masks didn't cover their mouths. The girl's mask was black with silver swirls. The boy's mask was the same, only, his mask had green swirls.

'They look somehow familiar' thought Natsume. Though, he dismissed the thought when he felt Persona coming their way. As he turned his head to where Persona would usually land, he felt someone else with Persona as well. When Persona landed on the ground without a sound, Natsume started to wonder where the other presence is from. He leaned off the tree trunk and dug his hands into his pockets and looked around a bit, pretending as if he was leisurely looking about for the hell of it. Though, he almost jumped when he felt someone lean their chin on his shoulder. Quickly turning around, ready to attack whoever it was, he only glared at the person in front of him.

"What the hell, Sakura?" he spoke, irritation evident in his voice. He was never fond of being caught off guard. "Aw, I was just having a little fun" she said, acting hurt. Natsume merrily grunted in reply. He also noticed a change in her voice. 'Her voice sounds different' he thought to himself.

"What's with your voice, anyway? Last time, I remember it was more annoyingly weird" he stated, he then looked at what she was wearing. A light blue blouse, with the sleeved rolled up to her elbows, a black skirt... and high heels. He commented, "And what is with you and high heels during mission stuff, anyway?"

"Well, Kuro Neko, I'm a girl, if you haven't figure that out already, do the math" she stated. Natsume scoffed, making Sakura pop a vein. Though, before she could say anything, Persona interrupted them, telling them that the meeting starts now. So, instead of raging at Natsume, Sakura childishly poked her tongue out at him before going walking towards the two people with the black masks.

Clearing his voice, catching everyone's attention, Persona started speaking.

"Alright, the four of you are going to work on the following mission together. Kuro Neko, you already know Sakura Kana, meet Ken and Rose. They will be working with the two of you"

Natsume raised a brow behind his mask. 'Ken?' he asked himself. Then, as if hearing his thoughts, Rose and Ken took off their masks, showing their faces. 'Just as I thought... Arakaki and Nishimura' thought Natsume as he took off his own mask. He then turned to Sakura who still had her mask on. He was about to tell her to take off her mask when she spoke.

"Don't even bother. I won't take off my mask" she said in a bored voice as she went over to a tree and leaned against it while gesturing Persona to continue, which he did.

"Your mission is to go and collect data from the AAO. You have a week. But I expect you to get all the needed data within ONE day, if you go in there more than once, the AAO will start to notice and suspect that we know what they plan to do- if they are doing anything, that is" Persona told them, "the academy would prefer to know if the AAO has any surprise attacks so that when they do their surprise attack, we won't be surprised." Persona then looked at all the students in front of him before adding, "Though, me being me, I expect you to finish the mission within less than four days, maybe three, even."

Natsume suddenly heard three people groan, obviously knowing what Persona was about to say. Confused, he looked back at Persona, who had an evil smirk on his face (not that it was a surprise), that had not been there for a couple of days. Before Natsume could speak, Persona started speaking again as he made his way to a tree and leaned against it. In the corner of his eye, he saw Sakura leaning off her tree and dusting off invisible specks of dust off her skirt.

"Alright, there will be special training for the four of you- you four will be the main group- the main group fighting in any battles. Though, Sakura and Kuro Neko will be the main people to participate in all events. Therefore, you all are to have special training. Especially Kuro Neko and Sakura- not the she would need it anyway" said Persona, carelessly leaning on the tree, with his eyes showing a tiny spark of amusement.

"Will be the _**main people**_ to _**participate**_ in _**all events**_?" Natsume hear Sakura murmur, "He's making it sound as if we would _**want**_ to participate in the damn thing..." Natsume almost laughed at the way she exaggerated her words when she said main people, participate, all events and want.

"Alright then, training starts now, first off, you are to fight each other- females against males. Rose, Sakura, take the left side. Kuro Neko, Ken, take right side- obviously..." instructed Persona.

He waited until all four prepared himself, and for Natsume, Hana and Daichi to put their masks back onto their faces before nonchalantly announcing, "Alright... **begin**"

'HOW THE HELL CAN HE ACT SO BORED IN SUCH A DANG TIME... Stupid brother' Mikan called out in her mind as she prepared to jump out of the way as Ken and Kuro Neko advanced towards her and Hana. She slightly jumped when she saw her brother pop a vein. 'And... He was obviously reading our minds just then... Damn... I knew I shouldn't have given him the mind reading alice... dang it'

_**"Damn right. Now deal with it, idiot"**_ Mikan heard in her mind. Yep, her brother was listening to her thoughts. She inwardly sulked again as she attempted to kick Ken. 'I shouldn't have given him any alice apart from the barrier alice, actually. WHY did I have to give him nullification as well? I can't nullify his damn mind reading alice because he combine nullification and mind reading together...' she sulked. Though, she soon let go of it and payed attention to what she had to be doing now.

At the moment, Hana and Daichi were fighting each other- scratch that, they were more playing around, not taking it seriously. While her and Kuro Neko, at the moment, were going full at it, obviously because they had to, and Mikan had to train him.

After a few hours, both teams were still fighting each other, this time, they were actually working together- unlike before, fighting one on one when they were meant to be working together. Though, seeing that it was enough for one day, Persona call it to an end and dismissed then, announcing that he will see them all at ability classes, excluding Sakura.

Natsume was about to make his way out of the Northern Forest when he saw Sakura tip toe up to Daichi so that she could whisper something in his ear. Seeing Daichi suddenly smirk, Natsume didn't know why, but seeing Sakura near Daichi was irritating, exactly the same as when Mikan was near any other guy. Natsume shook his head, as if trying to get back to reality. As he looked back at Daichi, Sakura had already disappeared. Not bothered to care, Natsume headed back to the school, decided to go to the teacher's lounge room to give Narumi the list of performances Mikan was going to do on the night of the Masked Ball.

Taking off his mask, and throwing it on the tree trunk of the Sakura Tree as he went past it. Minutes later, he reached the teacher's lounge room and shoved the list in Narumi's face and disappearing before Narumi could even read it. He then went back to fetch his mask and made his way to Mikan's room to check if she was asleep or not.

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><p>As Natsume made his way up the stairs and took a turn to the hallway where his and Mikan's room was, he never expected what was met before him, in the hallway, right there, in front of Mikan's room.<p>

Natsume had come at the exact time when Daichi had just pulled away from kissing Mikan's cheek, and she was millimetres away from kissing Daichi's ready-to-be-kissed cheek. Natsume's eyes unconsciously widened as Mikan returned Daichi's kiss on the cheek and smiled at him as she pulled away. For an unknown reason, Natsume felt a tug on his heart, as if it were ripping. 'What the hell is _**wrong**_ with me?' he asked himself as he quickly made his way into his own room to put away his mission mask, not wanting to look at Mikan smiling at Daichi in such a way.

Only, he didn't bother to know why Mikan and Daichi kissed each other on the cheek.

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><p>Mikan continued to smile at Daichi for a moment. She had whispered for Daichi to do her a favour and meet her at her room to do something for her before quickly going back to her room to change back into her school uniform. Daichi had arrived at her room a few moments after and Mikan explain what she needed him to do. She playfully slapped him when he smirked and teased her that she was probably faking the whole thing and only want an excuse for him to kiss her. Though, nevertheless, he leaned down and kissed her on the cheek, and after he pulled away, Mikan tip toed up and kissed him back on the cheek and leaned away, smiling thankfully at him.<p>

"Thanks, Ken!" she said, in her normal voice again, as she watched Daichi walk away to his own room, not seeing him put his hand on his cheek, as if keeping the kiss in its place. Not so long after, she went into her room as well.

"_In order to get your voice back, you're going to have to have a guy kiss you, and you to return the kiss- not that you would have a problem with __**that**__ anyway…" Hotaru told her. When Mikan heard this, Mikan's eyes widened. 'Ooh boy…' she thought as she handed Hotaru the money, took the packet of tablets and walked out the door, waving goodbye._

Too bad Natsume didn't know that **_that_** was the reason why Daichi kissed Mikan, and Mikan kissed Daichi.

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><p>HIYO~ Wow, it's Chapter 14 already... it's all going so... slow, yet, fast -I don't make sense at times, nevermind me (:<p>

How have you all been? I'm goodish... I guess.

So, How was this chapter? I'm trying to add more 'other characters' moments, you know? Hm.

Thanks for reading! Please **REVIEW**~ (:


	15. WHAT?

Please note before continuing on with the story.

Mikan, Natsume and the group are 15, 16 or 17.

Aoi and Youichi are both 11 years old.

Misaki and the other senpais are around their 20s

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Only Arakaki, Nishimura and Watanabe.**

And, I suck at grammar

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><p><em>Italics are flashback (I might tell you beforehand, but at times… yeah…)<em>

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><p>Natsume had quickly shut the door and thrown his mask onto his bed as he made his way to the couch where the television was. Letting out a sigh, he grabbed the remote and aimlessly flipped through the channels, finding nothing fit for his liking to watch. Not bothered to bother himself with flipping through channels on the television, he turned off the television and made his way to his mini library across the room.<p>

"Geez, this room should be more of an apartment… it could even pass for a house" Natsume murmured to no one in particular. He picked out a random book and flipped to a random page and stared at it. He then looked around his room. His special star room was, without a doubt, huge. No argument there. Natsume slowly walked around his room, with the book still in his hand. He stood by the door and looked back it his room.

His room was messy, yet neat. From where he was standing, in front of the door, on the left side, had the 'living room' as anyone would call it, then, there was another door at led to another room, on the left side, a few strides away from the television, where Natsume had left is vacant, not knowing what to do with it. A few strides away from the couch in the living room was his 'bedroom', on the right side of the bed was the bathroom, which was also huge, the left side was a mini library. Then, there was the kitchen, which was around where the living room was. Natsume frowned, realizing he hadn't been in the kitchen for a while. Not that he needed to go in there anyway. Natsume slowly headed towards the kitchen and placed the book he was currently holding, on a glass table that was next to the kitchen door, as he entered the kitchen.

Natsume headed over to the kitchen bench and leaned on it. He looked around when he suddenly remember when Mikan kissed him on the cheek. Natsume smirked at the memory, though it slowly disappeared when he remembered what happened a moment ago. Heaving a sigh, he stood up properly and made his way out the kitchen, deciding to go take a shower before heading to Mikan's room.

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><p>After Mikan went into her room, she wondered if Natsume was going to come back. She had seen him walking up the hallway, though he had immediately made his way to his own room. She aimlessly walked around her room, looking around. She walked around for a few minutes until she reached the living room and went into the extra room that was on the right side, a couple of strides away from the television, and entered the room where all her instruments were. Slowly walking in, she looked at all the instruments around her. She gracefully walked over to the flute, picked it up and looked at it for a moment. She then set it down again and made her way to the grand piano, then to the cello that was near it, then to the guitar.<p>

Mikan walked into the middle of the room and looked around her. "Well, I guess I might as well start figuring out what songs to sing for the Masked Ball…" she thought to herself. She then exited the room and moments later, came back in with her iPod. Mikan sat down on the piano chair, grabbed a paper and pen and started scrolling through the songs, every now and again writing down songs she thought might be suitable to sing.

After making a list of songs for what she thought would be reasonable, she started figuring out which songs to choose. She needed to choose 3 songs for herself, and wait for Natsume to discuss which song for them together. Mikan slightly smiled at the thought of singing with Natsume. Though, she quickly shook it off and looked through the list of songs.

'Hm, which song would be for the first dance song…' she wondered to herself. She stopped when a song caught her eye. "Hm, I guess this will do" she spoke to herself. She took out a small notebook and wrote the song next to the subtitle 'Song first dance'. She then continued doing that until she finished finding her three songs. When she finished, she picked up her piece of paper and looked through it again, re thinking. Finally satisfied with her songs, she smiled and placed the piece of paper back on the table and went to have a quick shower.

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><p>Natsume came out of the bathroom with his hair still wet. Making his way back to the book that he had left on the table next to the kitchen door, he went back on his bed and leaned his back on the frame of the bed and started reading. When he finished the book (which was only about 3 minutes later…) he slid off his bed and decided to go back to Mikan's room.<p>

Making his way down the corridor, he went up to Mikan's room and knocked on it. When he didn't receive any reply, he suspected her to be asleep. He tried the doorknob and realised that it wasn't locked. Natsume almost face palmed himself because of her stupidity. Here she was, one the most popular girls in the school, surrounded by perverted guys who would do god-knows-what if they realised that she doesn't lock her door. Letting out a sigh, he opened the door and let himself in. Closing the door behind him, he realised where Mikan was, hearing the sound of the water from the shower.

Deciding to make himself comfortable, Natsume picked out a book from her mini library and made his way to Mikan's bed and lay down on it and started reading. Minutes later his attention was moved over to the bathroom, where he heard the door opening. Moving his eyes away from the book, he turned to look at the bathroom, only to see Mikan having only a towel wrapped around her body, and her hair typed up in a pony tail as usual.

'Whoa' he was the only thing he could think before Mikan started to scream her head off.

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><p>Mikan was looking at the floor when she stepped out of the bathroom. When she looked up, she saw Natsume on her bed, holding a book and looking at her. She eyes widened and she inwardly cursed, trying to calm herself. Only, it didn't turn out so well. In the end, she ended up screaming her ass off.<p>

"AHHK! NATSUME! WHAT THE HELL? TU-TUR-TURN AWAY, PERVERT!" she yelled out, unconsciously hugging herself. Natsume being Natsume, he turned back to the book in front of him and tried ignore her as she continued to rant on.

"Why the hell did you let yourself in? Couldn't you have waited a couple of minutes? You damn pervert! Oh, god! I'm so glad I came out in at least a towel… if it were any other day when I didn't bother…" she trailed off. Natsume, hearing this, blushed, though he covered it with his bangs.

'She usually comes out of the bathroom in nothing?' he thought, as he watched Mikan from the corner of his eye. He saw Mikan walked over to the other side of the bed, grabbing a pillow and leaned over. As curious as he was, wondering on what she was doing, he tried his best to face the book. He was having a difficult time when something suddenly knocked him over. Coming back to his senses, he realised Mikan had hit him with a pillow.

"Oi! What are you doing, Polka?" he called out, obviously irritated. Mikan poked out her tongue childishly at him before replying.

"Well, you were looking. AND DON'T CALL ME POLKA, PERVERT!" she yelled.

"Well, whose fault is it that I look? Seriously, you have time to tie your hair up, but not enough time to bring clothes with you into the bathroom" he stated, with a raised eyebrow. He lowered his brow when Mikan scrunched up her nose, crossed her arms over her chess and replied,

"Well, I like hot showers… and it gets all steamy in the bathroom… and then, if I bring clothes in there, it ends up feeling weird…" she told him. Natsume raised his eyebrow again and smirked.

"Is that the best excuse you have in order to show yourself in only a towel in front of me?" said Natsume, calmly as he looked back at the book in front of him and started reading, inwardly smirking widely.

"WHAT? NO WAY, PERVERT!" Mikan shrieked, giving him a glare before she stomped over to her walk-in closet and slammed the door shut. As soon as the door slammed shut, Natsume put down the book and chuckled humorously to himself.

"Geez, what an idiot..." he muttered to himself as he picked up the book again and continued to read where he left off.

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><p>As soon as Mikan slammed the door shut, Mikan heaved a frustrated sigh. "Damn, that jerk!" she mumbled to herself. She then walked further into her closet and started looking for clothes. Just as she was about to get her clothes, a sudden announcement was made through the speakers around the school.<p>

"_Students of Gakuen Alice, your ability type classes will start in an hour. Lunch almost served, so feel free to make your way to the cafeteria. And again, Ability type classes will start in an hour"_

Mikan sat on the ground. Ability type classes, she hasn't told anyone which class she was in, apart from Hotaru. Heaving a sigh, Mikan stood back up again and placed her clothes back onto the rack and got out different clothes.

Minutes later, Mikan came out of her walk-in closet in a red tank top, black skinny jeans and black converse shoes. Natsume looked up from the book he was currently reading and raised his eyebrow. Mikan looked at him questioningly. Natsume closed the book and stood up and commented, "Nice shirt" and went over to the book shelf and put the book back.

"Hah, your favourite colour" Mikan stated. Mikan suddenly noticed how Natsume's eyes seem to look different than they were about an hour ago. 'What's wrong with him?' she wondered. Before she could ask him what was wrong, there was a knock at the door. Both heads turned towards the door as the door opened.

"Ah, hello, Hana, what brings you here?" Mikan asked as she made her way to Hana. Hana whispered something in her ear and left without another word. "Hmm" was all Mikan said as she stood by the door. All was quiet until Mikan broke the silence with, "Hey, ability classes are about to start...so... how about we head out now?" she asked. Natsume gave a stiff nod and headed towards the door. Mikan walked out first, followed by Natsume who closed the door behind him.

Both parties walked in silence. Feeling uncomfortable, Mikan tried to start a conversation, "Ne..."

Before she could continue, Natsume cut her off. "What ability class are you in, anyway?" he asked. Mikan stayed silent for a moment. 'Damn... I was afraid this would happen' she thought.

"Oi, Polka... did you hear me?"

Mikan glared at Natsume before facing forward again. "I'll tell you later" was all she said. They continued to walk in silence again when Natsume started speaking again.

"You're... you and Nishimura... what's going on with you two?" Natsume asked, his face void of any emotion. Mikan looked at him, confused.

"What do you mean?" she asked, stopping in her tracks. Natsume stopped in his tracks as well and turned around to face Mikan.

"You and Nishimura, are you two dating or something?" he asked, starting to get irritated. Sensing his irritation, Mikan started getting irritated as well. "Why do you ask?" she shot back. Natsume shrugged his shoulders and leaned against the wall behind him and answered, "You seem to be close to him that's all. What was with the kiss a while ago? What's the occasion?" he asked. Mikan slightly narrowed her eyes.

"What? Where...kiss?" Mikan trailed off. Then, something struck her. Natsume must have seen her kissing Ken on the cheek and vice versa. Mikan inwardly grinned inside. 'How cute' she thought.

"Right... when I kissed Ken. No, I'm not going out with him. And why I kissed him... it's a long story..." Mikan explained, her voice slowly trailing off. Natsume leaned off the wall and continued walking after answering with a "Hn". He was somewhat glad that Mikan wasn't in a relationship with the Nishimura guy.

"When do Nishimura and Arakaki join our class, anyway?" Natsume asked, digging his hands into the pockets of his school trousers.

"Ah, they join on Monday" Mikan replied, a couple of steps behind Natsume. "So, where do you want to go?" Mikan asked when she finally caught up with Natsume's long legs. She may be 170cm tall, but this guy was 185cm tall, by all means, 15cm taller than her. She hated that. Heck, she would have to wear about 6 inch heels just to reach his height! 'Well, the shoes that I've been thinking of buying recently are about 12cm high... so it will add 12cm to my height. I'll only be around 3cm shorter. Should do' she thought. Natsume's voice suddenly snapped her out of her thoughts.

"Oi, I've been calling your name for 10 minutes already, are you deaf?" Natsume grunted. Mikan poked her tongue out at him.

"I'm not deaf!" she exclaimed, "I was just thinking about something" she added. Natsume raised a brow, curiously, before dropping it. Mikan inwardly started laughing. 'He acts so much like a cat' she thought. 'He often acts so cold, now, he's so different' she noted.

"I wasn't thinking about much. Just..." she slowed her paced down to take a good look at Natsume. Natsume also slowed his pace down, "What is it?" he asked her.

"You're tall" Mikan stated. Natsume raised a brow again. "State the obvious much?" he said, sarcastically. Mikan playfully slapped his arm. "No, seriously... you're tall. Doesn't it bother you that girls continuously stare at you all the time?" Mikan asked, curiously. She turned to look at Natsume when she heard him scoff.

"I would be asking you the same question. Doesn't it bother you that boys keep staring at you all the time, fantasising about god-knows-what, while the girls glare at you?"

Mikan stayed quiet. Yeah, it makes her uncomfortable, but she has to deal with it, doesn't she?

"Yeah, it bothers me every now and then. I try to ignore it. How do you deal with it?" she asked, curious how the annoying, perverted, impatient jerk managed his fans. She sweat dropped when she heard Natsume's reply.

"I burn them, of course" Mikan stared at him as if he were a freak. "Seriously? That's so mean!" Mikan exclaimed. Natsume shrugged his shoulders. "You do what you got to do" he said in a bored tone. Mikan continued to stare at Natsume for a while before softly laughing and shaking her head.

It wasn't long until she realised that they were heading towards the Sakura Tree. They both sat on opposite sides of the tree trunk and sat in comfortable silence until it was time for ability classes to start.

Mikan closed her eyes and thought about her Alice. She could feel herself getting stronger. Sooner or later, the control devices won't help so much. She was going to need something else to hold back some of her power. Suddenly, Mikan felt something rip inside of her body. Mikan stopped breathing and closed her mouth shut, making sure not to make a single sound until the pain went away.

As soon as the pain went away, Mikan took a deep breath and exhaled. She really needed some help.

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><p>Natsume was looking up at the sky blankly, wondering about what had happened ever since Mikan arrived at Gakuen Alice. Natsume leaned his head onto the tree trunk and took a deep breath. He knows he hasn't been acting like himself ever since. The girl's got a huge impact on him, without a doubt. But, he, no way in hell, is going to admit that he's in love with her. There is no possible way. He's only known the girl for a month, yet, he still doesn't know anything about her. Heck, he doesn't even know her last name!<p>

Natsume slowly opened his eyes and searched for a clock around the area. The school always had multiple clocks around for the students to keep track of time. Seeing that ability classes was about to start in less than twenty minutes, he got up and told Mikan that classes were about to start in less than twenty minutes, and he had to walk all the way to the Northern Forest for his class.

"Ah, alright then..." said Mikan, "see you later" she added as she got up. When she was on her feet again, unaware that Natsume was in front of her, still having her eyes closed she took a step forwards and crashed into Natsume.

"OOOF! What are you still doing here? I thought you left already!" Mikan exclaimed, while rubbing her head, muttering a small 'ouch'. Natsume couldn't help but roll his eyes. How stupid can this girl be?

"Well, either way, I'm still here. Because, it's either I walk you to class, get you to go to your room or... as much as I hate to admit, I'll need to find Imai to look after you" spoke Natsume. Mikan popped a vein. "I...am...not...stupid..." she slowly spoke, glaring at Natsume.

"Sure thing, Polka dots" was all Natsume said as he dug his hands into the pocket of his pants and proceeded walking, while ignoring Mikan ranting on about being such a pervert, etc. When she finally stopped lecturing, she realised that they were in front of her room.

"Why on earth are we back here?" she asked, confused.

"Well, I need start going to class now, while you still have some time to... do whatever it is that you need to do" replied Natsume . He was about to walk away when he stopped, remembering something. "Oi, Polka, you still haven't told me what ability class you're in" he stated. Mikan looked down at the ground. Natsume heard her let out a small sigh before answering with,

"Natsume... you'll find out soon. Trust me, you will. I can't tell you, sorry" was all she said as she quickly opened the door to her room and went inside, quickly closing the door shut, leaving a confused Natsume behind.

'Why did she apologise?' Natsume wondered to himself, confused. He set the thought aside and made his way to the Northern forest. Class was about to start in about 10 minutes.

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><p>As soon Mikan closed the door, she heaved a sigh, and listened to Natsume's footsteps faded until she started getting ready to go to her ability class. She quickly went into her walk-in closet, picking up a watch and wearing it on her wrist on the way, and grabbed a black leather jacket and wore it as she made her way to the draw where she kept all her mission equipment.<p>

Concentrating, Mikan opened the draw and stared at it. Natsume was bound to know if she wore any of the jewellery. Searching around in the draw, she saw something that she was sure that Natsume's had not yet seen her wear. Mikan grabbed the necklace with small pendants of the crescent moon and a star. She then grabbed a white mask that covered most of her face, not covering her mouth. Hana has secretly sent her the mask when she came in to tell her something.

Quickly wearing it, she made her way out the door and ran towards the Northern forest, where the dangerous ability class would soon start in less than six minutes. As soon as she was sure no one would see her, she jumped up onto a tree branch and started leaping from branch to branch, gracefully. In less than four minutes, she had arrived at the Northern forest, and was less than a few metres away from where the class was held. Deciding to wait until Persona called her, she kept her distance from the rest of the class. Occasionally, watching Natsume, though, most of the time, she was having conversations with Hana and Ken through telepathic messages.

As soon as classes started, Mikan carefully leaped closer. She was also aware that Hana and Daichi were doing the same thing. 'Right... they're joining the class as well...' Mikan realised. She continued to go closer until she met up with Hana and Ken, where she gave them a small nod, greeting them, who nodded back, and all turned to watch below them, where Persona was about to make an announcement.

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><p>Natsume was leaning on a tree until he saw Persona come towards them. Natsume leaned off the tree and slowly made his way towards the rest of the class, taking his time. When he reached the class, Persona started making an announcement.<p>

"Dangerous ability class, we have three students who will join us" announced Persona. Upon this announcement, the class started talking to one another. Natsume had a good idea on who the two of the new students were going to be. He was sure it was going to be Arakaki and Nishimura.

Getting annoyed that his students were not listening to him, he simply told them to shut up, which they did, immediately.

"The three students, two are female, one is male. That is all I am to say. You way come out now, new students of the DA class" announced Persona.

Then, as said, two people tall people with black masks jumped down from the tree that was above the class. The girl had blonde hair, which was tied up in a pony tail. She walked over to the guy who was not so far from her, who had messy black hair. They gave a stiff bow, and stood back up and introduced themselves. Well, the girl introduced them...

"I'm Hana Arakaki, 16 years old, soon turning 17, and this is Daichi Nishimura, 17 years old" she introduced, gesturing towards themselves. "We hope we all get along"

"Wait, there is only two of you... didn't Persona say there were three new students?" a student called out.

"Good job for picking that up" Daichi said, sarcastically as he rolled his eyes behind his mask. He glanced at Persona, who nodded and spoke,

"Come out now" instructed Persona. Suddenly, a brunette jumped down gracefully, landing without a sound. Landing with her head down, no one was able to see who it was, but they saw her wearing a white mask that covered most of her face except her mouth. Though, Natsume had an idea on who it was, remembering the red tank top, the jeans and the black converse shoes, the person who he had last seen not so long ago.

"Hi, I'm the last new student joining the DA class" the girl said. A student asked them to take off their masks. And as asked, altogether, all three took off their masks. All of the Dangerous Ability class student's eyes widened at the beauties in front of them. 'Whoa' they all thought.

Natsume's eyes widened further when his suspicions were correct. 'Mikan' he thought. 'So that was why she said sorry... the hell...' he added as he saw Mikan look at the students.

Mikan started scanning her eyes across the class, avoiding Natsume's eyes, after scanning the class, she spoke.

"I am Mikan. I will be the... uh, co-handler... in a way to say it, of the Dangerous Ability Class from now on. I hope we will... all get along" she announced.

Natsume's eyes slightly widened upon the announcement, while all the other students, apart from Hana and Daichi who remained perfectly calm, secretly amused by the shock of the rest of their fellow students, were frozen.

'What the hell is going on?' all the students thought.

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><p>HIYO~<p>

Chapter 15 is up~ (Of course)

Recently, I realised how much I started to write... I don't know if it's too much... but, i often get carried away in writing so, uh, I apologise if it's too much (:

So... Review? And tell me what you think(:

THANK YOU~


	16. First classlesson&Tattoos

**Disclaimer: I do not own anything. Only Hana, Daichi and Akatsuki.  
><strong>

Note: I suck at grammar

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><p><em>Enjoy(:<em>

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><p>"<em>I am Mikan. I will be the... uh, co-handler... in a way to say it, of the Dangerous Ability Class from now on. I hope we will... all get along" she announced.<em>

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><p>Every student stood in shock. Getting annoyed by the stares, Persona asked, "Are there any questions?"<p>

A student raised their hand. "Yes?" Mikan asked, turning to face the student, only to freeze when she saw who it was. 'Youichi' she thought. Youichi was currently standing next to Natsume, with a 'still-trying-to-get-this-all-through-my-head' look on his face. The young member fidgeted around before asking his question.

"What do you mean by being the 'co-handler' of the class?" he asked Mikan. Mikan closed her eyes and let out a small smile, trying to find a way to explain.

"Well, let's see. Persona is the handler of the DA class. By all means, he takes care of everything. I, will, basically, mainly, be your trainer. I will help train all of you, and help you all improve on your Alice... or Alices. I will also tag along on certain missions to assist you if needed. I will also take charge of the class whenever Persona is absent and is unable to take the class because he has 'things to attend'. Any further questions will be answered at the end of class" Mikan explained. She then turned to Persona, mutely asking him to add anything, which he did.

"I expect good results. Shiro Neko will keep me updated on how you all go within your training. If any of you fail... well, I'll let your imagination work from then on" informed Persona. Many students started to sweat nervously. Next to her, she saw Hana and Daichi chuckle under their breath in amusement.

"Wait, who is Shiro Neko?" a student called out. Mikan took a forward and spoke.

"That would be me, much to my displeasure" Mikan declared, while secretly glaring at Persona. "Well, by all means. Training shall start. Let's start with how you all fight, with and without your Alice. When you use your alice is up to you" Mikan called out. She turned to Persona, who nodded.

"Alright, training starts now, Kuro Neko, you're up first. Give her your best shot, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT go easy on her... or else she will use your ass to clean the whole forest. Put on your mask and you may start" informed Persona as he threw a spare mask, that he usually keeps, at Natsume.

Replying with a stiff nod, Natsume put on the mask and started to charge towards Mikan.

'I'm going to hate this' was all he thought as soon as he readied to attack.

* * *

><p>Mikan closed her eyes as her brother announced the name of the first person up.<p>

"Alright, training starts now, Kuro Neko, you're up first. Give her your best shot, do NOT, I repeat, do NOT go easy on her... or else she will use your ass to clean the whole forest" informed Persona.

Mikan inwardly laughed. It was true. She wasn't going to go easy on Natsume. But, she was going to use her '_Mikan_ muscle and skills' not her '_Sakura_ muscle and skills'.

Mikan opened her eyes as Natsume made his way to area where training and fights were held. She had been avoiding his eyes ever since she had jumped down from the tree and landed on the ground. Now, she was looking directly in his eyes, only to feel guilt and shame over her. Why? _Why_ didn't she tell him sooner? _Why_ can't she tell him? _Why_ must danger be at every damn corner that she turns to? _Why_ must she always walk straight ahead? WHY?

Heaving a sigh, Mikan got into stance and readied herself as Natsume charged towards her. Natsume being one of the errand boys in the academy, he was taught to never use his Alice until needed last. And as taught, he did just that. Instead of using his Alice, he tried to knock her off her feet.

Natsume knew that he was not to underestimate her skills, though, there was no way she could be _that_ good, right? He thought as he swiftly turned around as Mikan somersaulted over him.

'What the hell?' he called out in his mind, though, his face remained calm as he tried to attack again, lunging a few punches whenever he got the change. Only, Mikan dodged every attack that he made. And as the fight went longer, his patience ran thin. Finally, he snapped and took a leap back and jumped onto a tree and started at activate his Alice.

"Finally..." he heard Mikan, Persona, Arakaki and Nishimura mutter under their breath in union. Behind his mask, he raised an eyebrow. What did they mean? He almost jumped when someone actually answered his question. Looking down, he saw Arakaki.

"This whole thing is about..." she started off. Natsume raised an eyebrow when she didn't continue. He almost jumped, again, when he heard Arakaki's voice in his head, _**"This is not only about how people fight without their Alice, Mikan wants to see how long they hold off their Alice as well- About how long you people wait until you use your Alice... as well as wanting to see how you all attack and all... without using your Alice"**_

Behind his mask, both Natsume's eyebrows went up at the explanation. He turned around to see Mikan already in another 'training session' with someone else. Hayate Matsudaira, to be exact.

Amused, Natsume walked over to where Youichi was and went to a nearby tree and leaned against the tree and watched as Hayate try to throw a few punches at Mikan, only to end up hitting thin air because she had already disappeared and appeared behind him.

Natsume watch Mikan, how she moved, her actions, everything. He couldn't help but feel as if he had seen someone familiar. Pushing the thought aside, he continued to watch as Hayate's patience snapped and started to activate his Alice. Hayate threw a wind blade at Mikan, who merrily stepped to her left to dodge it. Hayate popped a vein and threw multiple wind blades at Mikan, who, again, dodged them all easily with a couple of swift moves to the right and left, not bothered to jump out of the way.

Hayate was about to use his Alice again when Mikan stopped him by merrily putting her right hand up, signalling him to stop. Hayate stayed still for a moment before standing up straight and went over to the opposite side to where the other students were.

Hajime Yakumo was up next, who had the insect control Alice. Hajime stepped into the battlefield calmly and readied to attack. Only, unlike Natsume and Hayate, after a couple of attacks, Hajime stepped back and activated his Alice. Though, before he could do anything, Mikan put her right hand up again, signalling him to stop. Shrugging his shoulders and made his way to where Hayate was and sat down, leaning on a tree trunk.

Mikan scanned the class and her eyes landed on Youichi. "Come on, Youichi" she called out, waving her arm over, telling him to move onto the fighting area. Behind Natsume's mask, his eyes narrowed. As Youichi stood up, Natsume stopped him.

"You sure about this, kid?" he asked, trying not to sound too worried. Youichi let out a small nod and made his way towards the fighting area.

From the sidelines, Natsume stood up, ready to stop the fight if it were to get out of hand.

Mikan nodded at Youichi from across the field, who nodded back. Mikan put up her left hand, telling him to wait a moment as she took off her leather jacket.

As soon as she took off her leather jacket, all the guys in the class started to drool at the sight of her body. Nearby, Natsume felt a shared dangerous aura, which joined his own dangerous aura, emit through the atmosphere, straightening all the male student's minds. Turning to see where it came from, Natsume wasn't surprised by who it came from. Nishimura Daichi. Not much of a shocker there.

Mikan rolled her eyes playfully and indicated to Youichi to start, which he did. Like every other member, Youichi charged to attack, only, this time, Mikan also threw in a few attacks at him. Natsume's eyes narrowed. 'What the hell was this girl doing? Why was she attacking Youichi only? How come she didn't attack everyone else?' he asked himself as he continued to watch.

Mikan threw a punch at Youichi, who blocked it with both of his hands. She continued to attack from different places until Youichi finally activated his Alice on her. Mikan stepped back, not bothered by the ghosts that were surrounding her. Mikan stared at the ghosts for a while and then looked back at Youichi and gave him a nod. Youichi nodded back and deactivated his Alice and made his way back to Natsume, who was waiting to see if Youichi was hurt.

"You alright, kid?" he asked as Youichi made his way closer to Natsume. Natsume relaxed when Youichi nodded in reply. 'What the hell was she doing?' Natsume wondered. He then paid attention to the next person that was making his way towards the area to fight.

Mikan continued to call up students until all the students had their turn. In the end, all students were confused by why some of the fights went longer than others, and why for some of the students, Mikan worked harder on. Mikan called for all the students to gather for her to explain. When everyone was ready, she spoke,

"What everyone just did just now, was not only for me to see how you fight. I want to see how long you wait until you use your Alice, how long your patience goes for. And I have to say, some of you…" Mikan shot a glance at 'certain' students', "have quite the patience, while others, I'm a tiny bit disappointed. Some are too lazy and started using their Alice within only, what, 3 and a half minutes into the training session, heck, maybe even 1 minute. While some were… too… calm. We need to make sure we read our opponents, picking up certain skills, certain tactics, their strengths, what they're good at and what they're not god at, and using it as an advantage.

"I will start calling on students and work with them individually. And for those who were wondering, Youichi was the only one who I attacked because he is the youngest member here, and needs to start feeling a little bit more pressure. I will hand the class over to Persona now" Mikan informed them as she stepped back for Persona to speak.

While Mikan was handling the class, Persona had made himself comfortable, leaning against a tree and watched in amusement as his fellow students started getting impatient.

"Well, that is all for today, I expect you try and improve by next lesson. Is it understood?" Persona asked, firmly. All students immediately nodded, except Natsume, who replied with him usual 'Hn'.

"Alright then, class dismissed" Persona announced.

All students started to leave. Before leaving, Natsume turned back and took of his mask and threw it to Persona, who caught it with ease. Before turning back, Natsume glanced at Mikan, who was currently walking over to Daichi and Hana.

"She better start explaining later" he muttered as he turned to leave, and proceeded to the Sakura Tree.

* * *

><p>Mikan made her way to Daichi and Hana after class was dismissed. Hana had come to her room to tell her Persona wanted to tell her something. Mikan happily chatted with Hana while Daichi lay on his back, trying to take a nap.<p>

Moments later, Persona appeared. Sensing his presence all looked up and nodded at him in acknowledgement. Persona nodded back and told them to stand up.

"Hey, Onii-chan. What did you want?" questioned Mikan. Persona stood a clear distance away from Mikan as he told her.

"Well, seeing that your Alice controls devices are a bother, the principal has appointed you a time to get some tattoos... They work the same way on your body- pretty much an Alice control device, only, in tattoo form. You are to go today in about... less than half an hour from now" announced Persona. As soon as Persona announced the news, Hana and Daichi jumped five metres away from Mikan, and waited for her reaction.

All waited silently as Mikan stood, frozen. All prepared when Mikan's eyes slightly widened.

"Oh shit" Daichi muttered.

Mikan started to release a dangerous aura around her. "WHAT! WHY? WHAT THE HECKIE? SERIOUSLY? WHY! YOU KNOW THAT I HATE THAT STUFF! NOW I HAVE TO GET ONE?" she exclaimed.

"Actually, you're going to get more than one. Not sure how many, but it's more than one" Daichi spoke calmly, digging his hands into the pockets of his jacket.

"WHAT? NOOO!" Mikan sulked. She collapsed on her knees and started sulking. "What has the world come to?" Mikan murmured to the ground.

Daichi slowly made his way over to her and placed his hand on top of her head. Hana slightly smirked, though, she sweat dropped about what happened next. Daichi had placed his hand on Mikan's head, making her look up, though, once she did, he started to ruffle her hair to the max.

"And for a moment there, I thought he was going to be nice... sheesh... that sucks..." Hana muttered to herself. Persona grunted in reply.

"OI! What did you do that for?" shouted Mikan, glaring at Daichi. "My hair's all messy now!" she added, as she started to fix up her hair. Daichi rolled his eyes as Hana and Persona made their way to Mikan and him.

"Well, stop whining then" suggested Daichi.

"NO! I don't want to get one! You're not getting one! So leave me alone!" Mikan shot back. Daichi popped a vein.

"You idiot, I'm getting a couple of tattoos as well... Tch, and even if I were not in the need to get a tattoo, I'M the one you has to listen to YOU crying and yelling about" Daichi replied, irritated as he ran his fingers through his hair. Mikan's eyes lightened up at what Daichi said.

"Really? You're getting tattoos, too?" she asked, ignoring the second part of what he said. Daichi nodded in reply, which made Mikan smile.

"Alright then! LET'S GO CENTRAL TOWN TO GET OUR TATTOOZZZAH!" she exclaimed, emphasising the plural, added onto tattoo, and grabbed Daichi's to drag him to Central town, only, to be stopped by someone.

"Oi, where do you think you're going, idiot?" Persona called out. Mikan stopped dragging Daichi and turned back and glared at her brother.

"I am NOT an idiot!" she exclaimed. "And what do you mean? Where are we going to get the tattoos, then, if not Central town?" she added, confused. Persona merrily pointed the opposite direct where she was headed to, making her sweat drop.

"Are you serious? In the academy?" she muttered in disbelief.

"Yes, now, you head in the main door, take the second left, then take the third right, take the fifth right after that, then the first left, then go straight, no matter what you see in front of you. Start heading over there, you've got less than fifteen minutes. Go" ordered Persona. Mikan nodded and turned to Daichi, who nodded at her. Together, they made their way towards the academy.

When they reached the main door, Mikan recalled what her brother had directed them. "Head in the main door and take the second left" she recalled, as she grabbed Daichi's hand and took the turn on the second left. "Then take the third right, fifth right after that, then the first left" she said all at once. She was about to drag Daichi again when he spoke.

"Oi, stop dragging me. And I was thinking..." he started off, stopping Mikan in her tracks and listened to Daichi. "How about a little race? To see who gets there first" he announced. He saw Mikan grin and spoke.

"Alright then, let's start, 3- 2- 1, go!" and with that, she ran off first. Shocked, Daichi quickly ran after her.

"OI! THAT'S CHEATING!" he called out to Mikan like a little boy. Throughout the hallways, the only sounds that were heard were the sounds of laughter and shouts coming from Mikan and Daichi. Well, Mikan was the only one laughing.

Daichi quickly caught up with Mikan and picked her up off the ground, carrying her bridal style, and continued to run with Mikan in his arms. Mikan continued to laugh hysterically in Daichi's arms as she held onto Daichi for dear life, since he was running so fast.

Mikan continued to laugh as Daichi continued to turn when needed. Daichi took the last turn, which was the first turn to the left, and stopped in his tracks. As soon as Mikan's laughs died down, she looked up at Daichi, confused upon why he stopped running. She then looked at the direction where he was looking at. When she saw what it was, she sweat dropped and commented.

"Does Onii-chan want us to die or something?" she spoke, her jaw slightly apart. Daichi snapped out of it when he heard Mikan's voice and shrugged, causing Mikan to hang onto him for dear life from the sudden movement. He let out a small 'sorry' and proceeded to walk.

"WHOA! Wait, what are you doing? Are you SERIOUSLY going to walk into the wall?" Mikan exclaimed, trying to wriggle out of Daichi's arms. Only, Daichi didn't let go.

"You brother said to go straight, no matter what is in front of us. I specifically remember, "go straight, no matter what you see in front of you" is what he said" said Daichi, slowing down to a stop and continued to speak. "You really think he would actually want us to run into the wall and die?" questioned Daichi, with a raised eyebrow.

Mikan crossed her arms across her chest and huffed. "Well..." Mikan couldn't think of anything to shoot back at him. Sure, her brother could be one hell of a freaking son of a bitch, but he is very trusting. That is, unless you do something that will make him angry.

Mikan looked up at Daichi, who looked into her eyes challengingly. Mikan nodded, mutely telling him to proceed walking. Though, instead of walking, Daichi started running. Mikan had to use up all of her self control in order to not scream, jump out of Daichi's arms and break his neck.

When they were a metre away from the wall, Mikan shut her eyes tightly, waiting for them to crash smack hard into the brick wall, when she suddenly felt something weird around her. As much as she wanted to open her eyes when the weird feeling was over, she continued to keep her eyes shut.

Daichi looked down at the girl in his arms, who had hidden her face into his chest when he ran into the wall. Well, not into the wall, but... into... the wall... Apparently, there was some sort of portal that led them to the room they were in now.

"Oi, idiot, open your eyes" he told her.

"Are-"

"No, we are not dead" spoke Daichi, cutting Mikan off while rolling his eyes. "Seriously, open your eyes or you'll regret it"

With her eyes still close, Mikan crossed her arms across her chest and looked up challengingly at Daichi.

"Really, now?" Mikan asked.

"Yes, you will" replied Daichi, rolling his eyes again.

"What are you going to do about it, hm?" she asked him. Daichi placed Mikan on her feet, knowing she would automatically open her eyes.

Mikan felt herself being carefully put onto her feet, causing her to automatically open her eyes, in fear the Daichi was leaving her. When she opened her eyes, she gasped at what she saw before her.

"Wow, this sure as hell does _not_ look like a place where people would get tattoos. More like a place to hold a Ball" Mikan commented, as she took a couple of steps forward. Behind her, Daichi snorted.

"I told you that you would regret it" he stated. Mikan spun around a playfully glared at him. When she spun around again, someone was in front of her.

'Oh, golly gosh!" she cried out in shock. "Where the heckie did you come from?" she added.

When she had turned around, a man was standing in front her, a hand in the air, in a way to say hello. He was a quite a good looking man, as well as a tall person with silver hair and crimson eyes which reminded Mikan of Natsume. Mikan awkwardly waved back while taking a step back, closer to Daichi as the man spoke.

"Hello, Persona told me you would be coming. Please, take a seat" the man said, as he lead them to a sofa. As they sat down, a beautiful, blonde haired, brown eyed tall woman suddenly appeared.

"Patrick, time to get back to work" the woman called out.

"Alright then, Leanne" he called out as he let out a small smile and bowed, which Mikan returned, as he turned to leave.

Mikan saw the woman return a small smile before turning back and headed towards where she and Daichi were. As the woman approached, the woman let out a small smile, which Mikan returned, shyly.

"Hello, I'm Leanne. I'll be giving you your tattoos today. You two are Mikan and Daichi, right?" she asked in a kind voice. Mikan smiled brightly and replied with a nod along with Daichi.

Leanne smiled again and asked "Alright then, um, who would like to go first?"

Mikan's colour started to pale when Leanne suddenly mentioned it. She wasn't exactly looking forward to getting her tattoos. And because of that, she instantly pointed towards Daichi, who was looking away.

Feeling two people staring at him, as well as one person pointing at him, he slowly turned his head around, only to see two women staring at him, waiting.

"What?" he asked, as if he had done something wrong.

"You're up first, boy" Leanne announced as she made her way towards another area. Daichi looked around in a confused state while being dragged across the room.

"Oh, hell" he muttered when he realised he was first up to get his tattoos. "Well, might as well get this over and done with, eh?" he muttered, turning to Mikan.

Mikan let out a small smile and turned to Leanne to accepted two booklet that Leanne gave her. Mikan then passed one over to Daichi as Leanne explained things to them.

"Those are some of the designs. Choose two at the least. No matter how big or small, just check the subheading to see how high the control of Alice it is. There's low, medium and high. From my own guess, I think you two should go for medium. Well, I'm going to the other room for a bit. You go on ahead and choose. I'll be out as soon as you finish choosing" Leanne called out as she made her way to another room.

Mikan and Daichi were then left alone with the booklet full of designs for tattoos. Glancing at each other, they went over to the couch and opened the booklet and started looking through it.

"Wow, there's so many to choose from!" Mikan exclaimed as she flicked through the pages. Daichi's only reply was 'hm' as he continued to flip through the pages.

In the end, Mikan decided to get small tattoos here and there. She chose floral swirls, Sakura flower and a small flame. The flame had captured her interest for some reason. She smiled when she realised that it was Daichi's Alice.

She smiled as she finally finished choosing. She turned to see how Daichi was doing, only to see him looking at her booklet, seeing the two tattoo designs that she had circled. Mikan looked at Daichi's booklet and saw that he had chosen an outline of the sun, a dragon and a flame, like her. Mikan couldn't help but smile at his choice.

"Those really suit you..." she spoke, softly. Daichi looked up at her and gave her a half smile.

"You too" he replied back as he watched Mikan stretch. "What level?" he added.

"Level what?" Mikan asked in confusion. She saw Daichi roll his eyes and point to the booklet full of tattoos. Mikan let out a small 'oh' before answering.

"Um, one medium, and two low ones... how's that?" she asked, worried that it would be good. Daichi leaned back on the sofa and thought for a moment.

"Yeah, it should be good. You could always wear your control devices later... or more tattoos" he replied. Mikan gave a small nod, though paled at the second half of Daichi's sentence. A few minutes later, Leanne and Patrick entered the room.

"Well, you're all good, right?" she asked. The two teenagers nodded as they stood up.

"Alright then, let's go. You two will be doing it at the same time. I'll be doing Mikan's, while Patrick will do the boy's" she announced, pointing to Patrick when she mentioned him. Mikan inwardly sulked.

Seeing the worry in Mikan's eyes, Leanne reassured her with, "It's alright. It won't hurt much. Just like a scratch from a cat... well, a couple of scratches... I'm sure you've experienced worse" she said, as she led the two of them to where they were going to get their tattoos.

Daichi and Mikan took a seat and waited.

"Alright, start telling us where you want them, and we'll get started" said Leanne. Daichi spoke to Patrick whilst Mikan spoke to Leanne.

After negotiating, Daichi started first. He made sure he had a calm front so that Mikan wouldn't worry. When it was Mikan's turn, Mikan couldn't help but grab Daichi's hand.

After Daichi was finished, he waited until Mikan was finished. Not long after, Leanne finished with Mikan and cleaned up.

"Alright, you should be good. Didn't hurt too much, did it, now?" she asked in a joking kind of voice.

Mikan let out a small laugh and turned to Daichi and look at him. He had gotten his flame on his right wrist, his dragon on left side of his abs and his sun on his right bicep. Mikan had gotten her flame on her right wrist, like Daichi, her floral swirl on the back of her neck and her Sakura flower on the bottom left side of her abdomen.

"Well, this will be interesting..." Mikan murmured. She then took Daichi's right arm and held out his wrist and then held her right wrist next to his.

"We're a match!" she called out childishly. Daichi rolled his eyes.

"Come on, we ought to go" he announced. Mikan turned back to wave goodbye to Leanne and Patrick.

"You come back anytime whenever you want!" Leanne called out. Then, she quickly called out something as they entered the portal.

"OH! THE TATTOOS WILL DIS-!" she called out as Mikan and Daichi entered the portal. Mikan wasn't able to hear the whole sentence since she had entered the portal, though she set it aside for next time.

Mikan and Daichi made their way back to their rooms together, since they were living across the hall from each other.

"Gosh, I hope they heard it..." Leanne murmured to Patrick as they continued to clean up.

"The tattoos will disappear when your true love tells you that they love you with all of their feelings" she told no one in particular.

* * *

><p>Mikan and Daichi headed to their rooms together. When it was time to part way, Mikan smiled at Daichi before turning away to leave. Only, she was stopped by Daichi. Mikan slowly turned around to face Daichi with a questioning look.<p>

Instead of answering her, Daichi took off the leather jacket that he had been wearing and gave it to her.

"Wear it" he ordered. Mikan obediently obeyed and put on the jacket. As she pulled out her pony tail from under the jacket, she asked, "why?"

Mikan frowned when she saw Daichi roll his eyes. She was about to yell at him when he cut her off by holding her right hand and spoke in a low voice.

"Well, Miss Oh-so-wise. Have you thought about your tattoos, yet? Who are you going to be when you show your tattoos- Mikan, or Sakura? Plus, Hyuuga will start wondering where you got your tattoos in such a time" he explained, as well as asked.

Feeling dumb for her mistake, Mikan could only let out a small 'oh' before answering back an 'I knew that'. Daichi rolled his eyes again and waited as Mikan thought through his question for a few minutes.

"Well, I think I will show the tattoos on my wrist and the one on the back of my neck, since it will be harder to hide...though... I'm just wondering...how do I hide the tattoo on the back of my neck? I mean, while I'm Sakura... because I often tie my hair up..."

"Wear some sort of jacket or shirt or whatever it is that will cover your neck" Daichi cut her off. Hearing this, Mikan scrunched up her nose. Daichi gave her a questioning look.

"I don't like those jumpers with the long neck thingy mabobs. What are they called again? Um... turtle neck jumpers or something. I don't like them..." she muttered. Daichi raised an eyebrow.

'Seriously, this girl... she doesn't realise that she could look good even in a garbage bag...Anything that she wears looks incredible on her...' he thought. He stayed quiet for a moment before replying.

"Don't worry, you'll look good. Now, you sure you're going to show your tattoos as Mikan? What about the Sakura flower tattoo?" Daichi questioned her.

"Well, I'll hide that one. I'll only show it when I'm Sakura...which," she then lowered her voice even lower than it was in the first place and continued, "might be tomorrow..." she then continued in her normal lowered voice, "when we go on the mission"

She then shook off the atmosphere and looked at Daichi, who had cocked his brow at her. Mikan poked out her tongue childishly at him.

"Alright then, now, I guess I'll be going. Bye, Ken!" she exclaimed as she turned around to head to her room. Behind her, she heard Daichi grumble something under his breath before he called out her name, stopping her in her tracks. Mikan slowly turned around to see Daichi in front of her, holding out his arms around her. Mikan closed her eyes, thinking he was going to hug her or something.

Her eyes shot open when she felt his jacket move. "Eh? What are you doing, Ken?" she asked, confused. She saw Daichi roll his eyes as he proceeded to fix the collar of his jacket, so that the collar was standing up, covering her next. Mikan let out a small 'oh' as she smiled sheepishly.

"Right... so he can't see the tattoo... I was about to do that..."

"Sure you were" Daichi answered back, rolling his eyes...again. Mikan smiled and tip toed so she would reach Daichi's cheek and kissed it.

"Thanks. BYE~" she called out, as she skipped to her room.

Daichi stayed behind and watched Mikan's retreating figure until it disappeared. Finally, he turn right and headed towards his room while shaking his head and a smirk appearing on his face.

* * *

><p>When Mikan went into her room, she quickly shut the door and went to her walk-in closet. As she changed into a plain white t-shirt with sleeves that ended at her elbows and black leggings, she thought about Natsume. As she made her way out, she quickly grabbed a dark grey hoodie and threw it over her head.<p>

As she stepped out, she stopped dead in her tracks at the sight before her. "Natsume..."she muttered as her eyes widened. She was about to speak, when she saw the way Natsume looked.

Natsume stayed silent, staring back at Mikan, as she stood still, not daring to move a muscle. He saw her open her mouth, ready to say something, only to cut herself off. After a moment of deafening silence, Mikan spoke.

"What are you- Natsume... how did you-" she started off, keeping her eyes on Natsume, who seemed to have snap out of daze.

Mikan silently gulped, and stood still, still not daring to move a muscle. She opened her mouth when she was cut off by Natsume, who was looking her into the eyes. Something about him at the moment made her feel guilty all over.

"Natsume, what are you- I mean- How did yo-"

"When were you going to tell me? Actually, scratch that, what ARE you going to tell me, Polka?" Natsume questioned her, eyes staring hard at her. He then added something with his own concerned look that made Mikan weak in the knees. He then asked her one more question with, not anger, not disappointment, but hurt in his eyes.

"When are you going to start telling me the absolute truth?"

* * *

><p>I ACTUALLY GOT OVER 100 REVIEWS! Omg, omg, omg, O.M.G~<p>

HUUGGE thanks to the people who ACTUALLY bother to read my story, as well as review (:

XDevilishAngelx, you're my 100th reviewer (: *cheers*

Thanks everyyyyoneeeee~ I'll _try_ to keep up the work, and improve.

**Please, REVIEW**~ (:

[Yep, I am turning into a mindless typer/writer, who types anything that comes into mind, only to re-read my work, and find a gazillion mistakes... T_T]


	17. I'm not weak & thecafeteria

Disclaimer: I own only Hana, Daichi and Akatsuki. I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: I still suck at grammar

* * *

><p><em>He then added something with his own concerned look that made Mikan weak in the knees.<em>

"_When are you going to start telling me the absolute truth?"_

* * *

><p>Mikan tried her best to not fall to her knees as she stared into Natsume's eyes. Both stayed silent, waiting for the other to speak. After three long minutes of silence, Mikan inhaled deeply before speaking.<p>

"Natsume, there are many things that I cannot tell you at the moment. Please, understand. There are lots of things about me that I would prefer for you to not know. Though, if you want to know, then I will tell you. Just… not yet…" she replied as she avoided his eyes for her last sentence.

Natsume's eyes hardened at Mikan's reply. "Fine then," he started off, "tell me this- Why are you in the Dangerous ability class? You couldn't have been put in the class for an Alice that temporarily stops another Alice from working."

Mikan looked up again and saw Natsume's emotionless face, though with eyes desperately trying to hide his worry. Mikan heaved a sigh and spoke.

"Natsume, things aren't always as it seems. You would know that already" she spoke softly as she looked down. She then continued, "I was asked which class I wanted to go in out of two choices- Special and Dangerous ability class. I thought about it and I chose the DA class."

"Why?" questioned Natsume in an irritated voice. Mikan gave him a questioning look. Natsume closed his eyes, and started concentrating on his breathing. "Why did you choose the DA class? You know very well what you will have to do. Why didn't you choose the Special Ability class? Make a change to the SA class."

Now, it was time for Mikan to close her eyes and focus on her breathing. "Well, Natsume. For most of my life, I've been nothing but a burden and- no, DON'T you roll your eyes at me, Natsume- I've been nothing but a burden to my parents, my friends, and especially my brother. I want to at least make use of myself and try and protect them" she replied.

"Then why couldn't you choose another way to protect them? Sure, you'll be making sure that they are safe, but now you are putting yourself in danger, and I doubt they would like the idea. You're just continuing to be a burden, by all means" Natsume shot back, his voice hard.

Mikan threw her arms up into the air. "WELL AT LEAST I'M ABLE TO KEEP THEM _SAFE_, NATSUME" she yelled. "Before, I was a burden because I couldn't do anything. Now, I'm a burden for helping and trying to save people's lives!" Mikan cried out. "At least…" she added, her voice trailing off, "at least I can make sure that if something were to happen… I will be the one to be able to help them, because they know that I am no longer the burden that I used to be- a burden because I couldn't do anything."

Natsume turned around, so his back was facing her, avoiding her eyes. "Then, I repeat my question from before: why couldn't you choose another way to protect them? Putting yourself in danger, because you want to help other people _get out_ of danger is even_ worse_ than the burden you are probably putting on people _now_. Once people know what you're doing, god knows what they're going to start doing to you. What if something happens? What if you don't return back to the academy, Polka? Tell me, what do you think your friends will like react once they find out that you're dead from going on a mission?" he retorted, his voice now cold.

Mikan closed her eyes and let out a half-hearted laugh and replied in a voice as cold as Natsume's. "You think I'm _that_ weak, eh? Great, now I'm a burden to some else, now? Seriously, Natsume… I'm not as weak as you think I am. I may not be as physically strong as you, but at least I know how to encourage and tell myself to try and work harder. I'm not going to die that easily." She then strode over to Natsume, stood in front of him and looked him in the eyes and spoke, "I'm not weak", in a venomous voice.

"I never said that you were weak, did I? I just don't think you are ready" explained Natsume.

"Well then, what do you think is _ready_, Natsume? Tell me, what exactly is _READY_?" Mikan shouted as she poked his chest multiple times.

Natsume looked into Mikan's eyes and saw how determined she was. Seeing no point in trying to convince her anymore, he shook his head and started to make his way out the door. "Fine then," he called out, "do what you want for all I care. Go on those fucking missions and fucking die for all I care" was all he said as he slammed the door shut and made his way to his own room.

Mikan dropped to her knees as soon as Natsume had made his way out of her room. "What the heck just happened?" she murmured to herself as she felt her eyes sting. She gave out a half-hearted laugh before breaking down and started crying. It was the first time she cried in a long time. Why did she start crying now? What did Natsume say to make her want to rip his head off? She then recalled their conversation they had just minutes ago.

_"You__'__re just continuing to be a burden, by all means"_

Mikan grimaced as she remembered other things Natsume said.

"_Putting yourself in danger, because you want to help other people get out of danger is even worse than the burden you are probably putting on people now."_

Mikan got off her knees and sat on her bottom as she remembered the things she said- scratch that- yelled at him.

"_WELL AT LEAST I'M ABLE TO KEEP THEM _SAFE_, NATSUME."_

Mikan heaved a sigh. She had started to lose her temper at that point…

"_Natsume… I'm not as weak as you think I am."_

_I'm not going to die that easily."_

"_I'm not weak"_

"Right…that's why I want to rip off his head…" she muttered to herself as she remembered their conversation. She then remembered one final thing that made her jump to her feet in anger.

"That idiot, I hate him. I hate him, I hate him" she repeated to herself as went to change into her jogging shorts and put on her joggers. She then jogged her way to the door and slammed it shut and for a run to get rid of most of her mixed emotions at the moment that were getting the best of her.

"_Fine then, do what you want for all I care. Go on those fucking missions and fucking die for all I care"_

* * *

><p>Natsume made his way to his room and slammed the door shut. Damn, why was the girl so stubborn? Why couldn't she listen to him once in a while?<p>

Heaving a frustrated sigh, he walked over to his mini library, took out a book and plopped himself on his bed. He tried his best to focus on the book, though his mind kept on wondering back to the conversation he had with the stubborn girl a few minutes ago. Not able to concentrate on the book any longer, he threw it aside as he heard Mikan's door slam shut and some loud footstep.

"I guess she's going out for a run to calm herself down, then" he muttered to himself as he got off his bed and out onto the balcony. Natsume put his hands on the railing and stared at it. He heard something and looked up. He looked down below his balcony to see Mikan stretching and warming up with an annoyed expression on her face. Considering where she was, she was only going to run around the area, not the whole school, so, Natsume stood back and watched her get ready to run.

Mikan continued to stretch for an extra five minutes and checked her watch. Mikan stood up straight, closed her eyes, and inhaled, feeling the breeze. She then opened her eyes and started to run at Mikan's full speed.

Natsume watched as Mikan ran at full speed, passing people here and there. The more people she passed, the more attention she got. Natsume heaved a sigh and started to mutter random stuff under his breath.

"Damn, I guess I was too harsh on her… especially the last thing I said to her…" he muttered. He then checked his watch and saw that it was almost time for lunch. "Might as well go down to the cafeteria now…" he said as he grabbed his coat and headed for the door.

* * *

><p>Mikan stopped in her tracks, panting. She felt weird running so slowly. It felt as if it was draining out more energy in her, than when she was actually run at full speed.<p>

Heaving a sigh, Mikan did a couple of stretched for a few minutes before deciding to make her way to the cafeteria for lunch after checking her watch, showing her that she had been running for about half an hour.

Mikan made her way towards the cafeteria, paying no attention to anything but the sound of her heart beating. She quietly made her way past people here and there and returning a smile to the people who smiled at her.

Finally, she made it to the cafeteria. 'I swear that walking to the cafeteria is more complicated than going for a run for two hours' she thought as she stood in front of the cafeteria doors. Mikan closed her eyes and inhaled deeply as she opened the cafeteria doors and walked in.

As soon as she walked in, all was silent. 'Oh geez, how did it come down to this?' Mikan wondered to herself as she slowly made her way towards the table where Hotaru was, along with Nonoko, Anna and Sumire.

As she made her way closer to the group, all the girls greeted her.

"Hey Mikan, come have a seat" said Anna as she scooted over a little bit so Mikan could fit. Mikan smiled, though continued to stand and spoke.

"Um, why not we just go over to the Special Star table? There's more space" Mikan recommended. The girls nodded and followed Hotaru, who was the first to stand up and make her way towards to Special Star table.

As they neared the Special star area, Mikan quickly gave a smile and a nod to the robot that stopped Hotaru from entering the Special star area to allow them to pass.

"They are my friends" she told the robot who replied with a nod and went a way to grab some menus and quickly came back as the girls took a seat.

"So, where are the boys? Sumire asked curiously. Mikan inwardly thanked her for asking the question that she, herself, was dying to ask. All heads turned to the opposite side of the cafeteria, where Hotaru was pointing towards.

"They boys seem the run away from us. So cut..." Sumire joked. Mikan let out a small laugh.

"But... why exactly are they all the way over there? They usually hang out with us, don't they?" Nonoko wondered. "Unless..." she added. All heads turned towards Mikan, causing her to sweat drop.

"Why are you all looking at me for?" she quietly exclaimed, while waving her arms about. All her friends narrowed their eyes and leaned closer to her. Sumire even bothered to get up and stand behind Mikan's chair. Sumire slowly put her hands on Mikan's shoulders and leaned forward, so that her head was almost leaning on Mikan's right shoulder.

"So, Mikan-chan..." Sumire started off. The rest of the girls, even Hotaru, leaned in further and said two words in a way that made Mikan try to hide in her seat.

"Spill, girl"

* * *

><p>Natsume had made his way towards the cafeteria, and bumped into all the guys along the way. Natsume stayed silent for the whole trip towards to cafeteria. He felt weird having to actually make his way towards the cafeteria. He hardly ever went to the cafeteria, why had he decided to go today, anyway?<p>

Natsume shook his head, as if to get rid of the thought as he heard Koko and Yuu planning to ask some of the girls out to the Masked Ball. Natsume inwardly smirked. 'Well good luck to them' he thought half-heartedly as he closed his eyes. He then heard the door open and the whole cafeteria go silent. Curious upon why everyone had gone silent, he opened his eyes a little bit and peeked at whoever it was that walked in. His eyes shot open when he saw who it was.

'Polka' he thought. He then mentally slapped himself. How could he have been so stupid? Who else would be able to silence the whole cafeteria other than himself? Natsume closed his eyes again and tried his best not to pay attention to the brunette who was making her way towards her friends. Unfortunately, his curiosity got the better of him and he slightly opened his eyes to peek at what she was doing.

She was still in her attire from when she went out to run, by all means, she was still in the plain violet, which was underneath the dark grey hoodie and running shorts, her hoodie still covering her head.

Natsume quickly closed his eyes when he suddenly recalled his previous conversation with her. Why did this girl have so much effect on him? He wondered as he reopened his eyes again and saw her group of friends, as well as her, making their way towards the Special star tables.

The cafeteria was still silent up until now. As soon as the girls sat down again, the cafeteria was back to its noisy volume. Though, Koko, Yuu, Ruka and Mochu were still keeping their gaze on the girls.

"Hey, what do you think they're talking about?" Koko questioned Mochu in a whisper.

"I don't know, man! I'm not the one with supernatural hearing powers!" Mochu exclaimed in reply. As soon as he finished his sentence, all heads turned towards Natsume, who quickly shut his eyes closed, hoping they would look away soon and leave him alone. After three long minutes, he could still feel the stares from his mate. Inwardly heaving a sigh, Natsume opened one eyes and said, "What?"

Mochu scooted closer to Natsume and slung his arm around Natsume's shoulders and spoke. "Natsume, my man…" he stared off. He was about to continue when Koko cut him off, who decided to be frank.

"So… tell us, what are you able hear?" asked Koko.

Natsume looked around at the faces of the people who were seated at the same table as him. 'The things I go through just to not kill them…' he thought to himself.

"I hear nothing" he replied nonchalantly as he closed his eye again, in hope that they would let-whatever they wanted to know- pass. Only, today was not his day.

"Ah come on, man! Just one thing?" pleaded Koko. Natsume saw Ruka slowly pull Yuu away from Natsume, Koko and Mochu. 'Thank god Ruka knows how much patience I have at the moment. I got to thank that bunny of his' Natsume thought.

"Piss off, would you?" he growled to Koko and Mochu, who quickly backed away with a sheepish grin on their faces.

"Ah…hah… sorry, man… we were just curious" Mochu explained at an emotionless Natsume.

"Yeah, we were just wondering…curious and all… You know Mochu. He's worried Sumire's going to ditch him right before the Ball and go with some other better looking guy" Koko butted in, earning a glare from Mochu.

"I am not!" he denied. "YOU'RE worried that you're going to be rejected by Nonoko when you asked her to be your partner to the Masked Ball!" exclaimed Mochu quietly. Koko chuckled and replied.

"Oh Mochu, Mochu, Mochu…" Koko started off. "I…Kokoro Yome," Koko then ran his hand through his hair dramatically, posed for a while and then continued, "Does not get turned down"

Mochu then burst out laughing while Ruka and Yuu stifled a laugh while Natsume watched in amusement.

"Seriously? HAH! That's…that's cool, bro" said Mochu. Koko raised an eyebrow at Mochu, and then looked around to the rest of the table to see Ruka and Yuu look away and pretend that they were talking about something really interesting. Koko then turned to Natsume, who quickly shut his eyes closed again. Koko narrowed his eyes.

"I _can _ask her out! I WILL!" Koko exclaimed. All eyes, including Natsume, stared at Koko. He then saw all of them smirk.

"Prove it then" said Ruka, leaning forward. Koko narrowed his eyes further, wondering what his friend was thinking about. Koko then smirked. 'Oh, how I love being me' he thought to himself as he started to activate his Alice. Though, he frowned when he realized that it wasn't working. Sure, it was there inside of him, but it wasn't working. What was happening? Koko shrugged thinking it was just a weird thing here and there.

"What do you mean? How do I prove it?" asked Koko. He then sweat dropped when he saw Natsume smirk. 'What the hell?' he thought.

Ruka cleared his throat to capture Koko's attention. "Well, why not go and ask her then?" questioned Ruka, smugly.

"Wow, someone's sure of themselves today, aren't they? I don't see you asking Imai out, Nogi" Koko shot back at Ruka. Ruka started to laugh.

"That, my friend…is because I already asked her out a couple of days ago. So, I already have a partner to go to the Masked Ball already. So, go ask Nonoko then" replied Ruka. Something in Koko snapped.

"FINE, I _**WILL**_ ASK HER THEN!" he exclaimed.

"Ask who what?" asked someone from behind. The voice sounded too familiar in fact, much, too much familiar. Koko slightly paled, though he turned pink with embarrassment and anger, as his friends had planned this. Taking a deep breath, he turned around to see Nonoko, Anna, Sumire, Hotaru and Mikan staring at Koko expectantly, waiting for an answer for his sudden outburst when they arrived.

"Well, Koko? Mind answering the question?" asked Sumire with her hands on her hip, as if already knowing what he was talking about. Koko prayed that his mind reading Alice would work at the moment. So, he slowly activated his Alice and decided to read Sumire's mind and…

'-ORO YOME, YOU ARE GOING TO ASK NONOKO TO THE MASKED BALL THIS INSTANT. I KNOW THAT YOU ARE READING MY MIND, BOY. ASK HER NOW' was what she was thinking. Koko immediately looked away from Sumire's expectant stare and gulped. He turned to face his friends only to see them smugly looking at him. He even saw Mochu who was in the background, doing a chicken dance- obviously mocking him.

"Damn…" muttered Koko. Deciding to not give up, he took a deep breath and quickly turned around and stared at Sumire, mutely asking her to give him some space. Sumire grinned and pulled the rest of the girls away and dragged near the other boys. Sumire forced Mikan to sit next to Natsume, Anna next to Yuu, then Hotaru next to Ruka and then sat herself next to Mochu. They then watched silently as they saw Koko fidgeting. Nonoko too dense to realise anything and curiously watched Koko.

"Uh, Koko…what's wrong?" she asked quietly, taking a small step forwards towards Koko. Koko, who was currently staring at the ground, quickly looked up and hugged her, catching Nonoko by surprise and gasp.

"Koko, what ar-" she started off, only to be cut off by Koko who spoke in a whisper.

"Please give me the honour of showing off to my friends that you are going with me to the Masked Ball" he quietly muttered, hoping she was the only one to hear. Though, unknown to him, Mikan and Natsume were secretly smirking since they heard what Koko asked.

Nonoko stayed silent for a few minutes. When Koko didn't hear any reply, he slowly pulled away to see Nonoko's widened eyes.

"No…no…ko…?" Koko slowly said, waving a hand in front of her face, snapping Nonoko out of her trance. A huge smile slowly appeared on her face as she jumped into Koko's arms while giving her answer- Yes.

Mikan smiled, happy for her friends and clapped. Her friends then followed and clapped as well. Koko and Nonoko then snapped out of their own world and smile sheepishly at their friends.

"HAH. I told you I could ask her!" Koko exclaimed arrogantly. Mikan and Natsume both raised an eyebrow.

'Yeah, in the most retarded way possible' they both thought.

"Speaking of which… who still needs a partner to the Ball?" Sumire asked curiously while looking around the table as Koko and Nonoko took a seat next to each other.

Mikan, Yuu, Anna and Natsume avoided Sumire's eyes as she looked at them. Mikan began to take a deep interest in her watch, Yuu and Anna started a deep conversation about something random while Natsume closed his eyes and leaned back on his chair.

"So… you four, eh? Why not just go with each other? I mean… nothing's wrong with that, right?" Sumire suggested thoughtfully. Mikan cleared her throat and excused herself after explaining to Sumire that she would be too busy during the Masked Ball.

Sumire shook her head. Honestly, that girl… She had told the rest of the girls a few minutes ago about what happened between her and Natsume. Who ever knew that they were bother on such awkward terms? She never knew that Mikan was planning on asking Natsume to the Masked Ball, though it ended up turning into a fight. Well, that's what Mikan told them, anyway.

"Oh well, then…" Sumire trailed off as she watched Mikan exit the cafeteria. The group then went into a deep discussion about how the world would be like pigs could fly.

Natsume had secretly watched Mikan leave the cafeteria, wondering if she was still angry at him. 'Wait, what am I thinking? Of course she would be angry at me! Tch, but at least she was able to sit beside me…' thought Natsume. He then stood up and left the cafeteria himself and headed for the Sakura tree.

He could only hope that his relationship with Mikan wasn't ruined because some stupid things he said.

* * *

><p>AN: Hello! I actually planned on updating two days ago, but… something happened, I don't know what, but it just happened. I'm starting to get lazy…again. This chapter's shorter than the other chapters I have been writing/typing recently.

Also, I've ben thinking of a new story lately... but I won't start uploading it until I'm almost done with this story.

BTW, if there are things that you don't understand, PM me or include in your reviews, so I'll include it in my stories to answer your questions, or I'll just straight out PM you.

Hope you enjoyed this chapter… even though I, myself, have no idea of what happened… Oh wells, thanks for reading! Leave a review~ :D


	18. Mission: Start

Disclaimer: I own only Hana, Daichi and Akatsuki. I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: I still suck at grammar

* * *

><p><strong>AN: Someone told me to have Natsume find out who Mikan was. Well, I'm sorry, but not now. Though, I will tell you that he will find out when…. He will find out soon… quite soon. Just not in the chapter. 8)**

* * *

><p>For the rest of the day, Mikan and Natsume tried to avoid crossing paths with each other. Mikan stayed in her room while Natsume stayed at the Sakura tree. Pretty much, they both stayed in one place for as long as they could.<p>

Night came, and Natsume decided to head back to his room. Heaving a sigh, he jumped down from the Sakura tree and headed back to his room as he planned. Meanwhile, Mikan had just finished off some homework that had been given within the week. Leaning back on the chair, she stretched and started to relax. She closed her eyes for a few minutes and focused on the sounds she heard outside of her room.

Her eyes suddenly snapped open. She heard footsteps and she was sure they belonged to none other than Natsume Hyuuga. She turned to the mini clock on the side of her study table. Well, it would be expected. Teachers were going to patrol the school to check if any students were around. It was already nine o'clock anyways.

Realizing what time it was, Mikan quickly stood up and ran for the shower after putting her things away. She had been so focused on her work that she didn't realise that she didn't have a shower yet because after she walked out of the cafeteria, she straight away started on her work. By all means, she was still in her running attire.

Ten minutes later, Mikan came out of the bathroom in her light blue pyjamas with white fluffy-looking clouds on them with her hair tied up in her usual ponytail. She then headed into her kitchen and poured herself a glass of water and walked over to her couch and turned on her television and watched whatever was on.

* * *

><p>Natsume had just arrived to his room and shut the door. He took off his coat and threw it onto his bed as he passed it. He went to collect new clothes, from his closet, and headed for the shower. As he stepped into the bathroom, he heard the water running next door, making him suddenly feel weird. He hadn't talked nor seen <em>her<em> all day. Heaving a sigh, he stripped out of his clothes and took a quick shower.

In less than six minutes, he came out shirtless and black pyjama pants, his hair still wet. He suddenly felt his stomach rumble. 'Damn, I didn't eat dinner…' he thought as he headed out to his balcony. He walked over to the railings and placed his hands on it and looked up at the night sky. He then walked to the coffee table, pulled out a chair and took a seat, then continued to stare up at the sparkling sky.

He closed his eyes and concentrated on his breathing. Suddenly, he heard a door slide open, causing his eyes to snap open. He automatically looked over to Mikan's balcony, to see Mikan in light blue pyjamas with clouds on them. He stayed silent, not daring to move a muscle until she turned his way.

Mikan walked over to the balcony railings and stared up at the sky, admiring how beautiful it could be at such a dark time. Though, it was also thanks to the moon, as well as the stars that made sky seem… not dark, empty, blank and detached to the rest of the world. It took her a while to realise that there was someone on the balcony next to her. She almost jumped when she saw Natsume staring at her as he stood up from his seat.

Mikan faced away from him as she saw him make his way to the right side of his balcony, so he could be right beside her balcony. He leaned against it, his body facing his room and his arms crossed across his chest. Both stayed silent, not daring to utter a word. Though, time went on and both of them started to feel uncomfortable. Mikan slowly turned around and was about to take a step to go back to her room when she heard Natsume speak.

"I..." he started off, "You...I don't know what to say. But, how long are we going to... be like…this?" he asked her, staring at the back of her head, in hope that she would turn around to face him.

Mikan looked over her shoulder and answered, "I don't know. It all depends on you" she then turned around fully and looked into Natsume's eyes.

"Do you still think that I'm not _ready_ to help the people I care about?"

Natsume's eyes slightly harden by her question. "I don't mean that you're _weak_. I just..." he trailed off, unable to finish off his sentence. He wasn't like himself. Usually, if he were in such a conversation, he would have let it be and walked off. Why was he so determined to fix things between him and Mikan all of a sudden?

His thoughts were pushed aside when he saw Mikan smile. He gave her a questioning look, though, his eyes widened when he saw Mikan turn away and head to her room. He was about to stop her when he saw her suddenly turn around and gesture him to follow her before disappearing into her room.

Natsume smirked and jumped over to Mikan's balcony and walked into her room, sliding the balcony door shut as he entered. When he walked into her room, he heard sounds coming from the kitchen. Slowly, he walked over to the kitchen to see Mikan collecting some ingredients to make food. He walked closer to the kitchen and leaned against the door frame and decided to watch her as she moved around and started cooking.

"Why are you cooking at such a time?" he asked, confused. Dinner was meant to be hours ago. Surely, this girl wouldn't be so hungry to eat again.

"Well, I didn't eat dinner before, since I was doing busy doing homework and all. And you being you, I doubt you've eaten, either, right?" she asked. Natsume merrily smirked in reply. Mikan smirked back at him and turned back to her cooking.

Minutes later, Mikan came out with two bowls with food filled to the top. Natsume stared wide-eyed at the two bowls in Mikan's hands as he followed her over to the dinner room with the chopsticks in his hand, in which Mikan had given to him to hold whilst she brought out the food.

"Wow, do you eat _that_ much?" he asked her., gesturing towards the food. Mikan merrily shrugged as she placed the food on the table. She then turned around and took a pair of chopsticks from him and sat down while Natsume stayed standing up, still in daze.

Mikan stared up at Natsume for a while before poking him in the stomach and raised an eyebrow. "Are you going to eat or not?" she questioned him. Natsume quickly sat down with a nod. Mikan smiled and started eating, not bothering with any formalities. Natsume grinned and started eating himself.

'Wow…this is good' he thought as he took the first bite.

Mikan and Natsume ate and would tease each other every now and again until they both finished eating. Mikan took Natsume's bowl and went to the kitchen to wash the dishes, followed by Natsume. She headed towards the kitchen and dumped the bowls and the chopsticks into the sink and started to unbutton her pyjama shirt. Seeing this, Natsume slightly blushed.

Mikan started to unbutton her shirt when she remembered her tattoos. 'I wonder…' she thought. She shrugged to herself and proceeded to take off her shirt, revealing a white tank top underneath. She quickly threw it aside and started to wash the dishes. In the corner of her eye, she saw Natsume eyeing her. Well, more specifically, her tattoos.

"When did you get those tattoos?" he asked curiously as he stepped closer towards Mikan. Mikan continued to clean the bowls silently. Natsume walked over to Mikan and stood behind her. It took all of Mikan's self-control not to go crazy and blush like mad.

Natsume leaned over, his chest touching Mikan's back and took the bowls out of Mikan's soapy hands and turned her around. He then placed both his hands on the edge of the counter, trapping her.

"So, answers" he said. Mikan sighed and leaned against the counter and answered, "I got them today, after I left the cafeteria."

"And, why?" Natsume continued to question her. Mikan raised an eyebrow.

"Don't start again, Natsume. Take the advice- Don't start again" spoke Mikan as she shoved Natsume's arms away and started to rinse the bowls before leaving them to dry. She then made her way out of the room and looked at the clock. It was fifteen to ten already. Mikan then made her way towards the living room to collect a book before heading towards her bed and plopped herself on it, not minding whatever Natsume was doing. Her eyes slightly widened when she saw Natsume lie down on the bed.

"What are you doing?" she asked in a calm voice, trying to focus on the book in her hands.

"I want to sleep" replied Natsume nonchalantly. His face was then met by a pillow which was thrown by Mikan. He threw the pillow aside and glared at Mikan only to see her already glaring at him.

"Sleep if you want. But there is no way in heckies are _you_ going to sleep on _my_ bed! ESPECIALLY HALF _NAKED_!" exclaimed Mikan as she climbed over Natsume to go to the other side of the bed to pull him off it.

"If you want to sleep here" she grunted, as she pulled Natsume off the bed and started to drag him over to the living room, "you can sleep on the couch!" she continued as she pushed him down onto the couch. She was about walk away when Natsume grabbed her arm and pulled her down on top him, making her let out a small scream.

"WHAT THE HECK, PERVERT!" she yelled as she punched his chest, making him grunt in pain.

'Damn, the girl's strong' thought Natsume as he playfully pulled her down closer to his chest and hugged her, causing her to scream…again. She was about to yell at him again when he whispered something she couldn't hear.

"What was that, Natsume?" she asked, leaning in closer to him (despite the fact that she was close enough to him as she was), trying to hear him better.

"Just…stay like this… just this one time…please.' murmured Natsume as he started to drift off to sleep. Mikan unconsciously smiled. She slowly and carefully moved her body around so she was in a more comfortable position before she relaxed and let herself slowly fall drift to sleep.

"Goodnight, Pervert" she muttered to him just as she fell asleep. Unfortunately for her, she didn't hear Natsume reply.

"Good night…Mikan" he whispered sleepily as he turned over and moved closer to his chest.

* * *

><p>Morning came and Natsume started to wake up. He suddenly remembered that he had a mission and quickly jumped off the couch, though he realised that Mikan was nowhere to be seen.<p>

"Where is that girl?" he asked himself, looking around the room. Then as if on cue, Mikan entered the room, still in her attire from last night, with two plates of pancakes.

"Well, you're finally up. It's 8:30 already. Good thing it's a Saturday, though. Or else we would have been late for school. Anyway, here, eat up" she told him as she handed him one of two plates full of pancakes, along with a fork for him to eat with. Both of them ate in silence. When both of them finished, Natsume stood up and went to wash the dishes after he told her to go change. Mikan smiled and did as she was told…after she stared at Natsume.

Quickly getting up, she went to get her clothes and ran into the bathroom to refresh herself.

When she came out she saw Natsume in her lounge room on the couch, all dressed and refreshed and reading a book. 'How in the heck did he get changed so fast?' she wondered to herself.

"How did you…?" she asked him.

"Magic powers" he replied sarcastically as he went to put the book away, back in it's place.

Mikan couldn't help but roll her eyes as she went over to the couch herself and plopped herself on it before asking curiously, "So, how was your sleep last night?"

Natsume stared at her blankly and replied a simple, "it was alright." Mikan raised an eyebrow and grinned. She then checked her watch to see it was already nine a.m.

"So, what do you have planned today?" she asked Natsume. Now, Natsume raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why? Want to ask me on a date, do you?" Natsume teased her. Mikan pouted.

"No, I was just wondering, that's all. So, do you?" she said. Before Mikan could reply, both felt another presence in the room. Natsume turned towards the balcony and headed towards it. Mikan followed suit. Both stopped in their tracks when they saw who the presence belonged to.

"Persona" Mikan heard Natsume hiss through his teeth.

"Hello, kittens. I'm just wondering what on _earth_ you two are doing _together?_" asked Persona. Mikan felt chills running down her spine when her older brother asked upon why they were together.

"Anyways, Kuro Neko, you have a mission today, as I told you yesterday. You are to meet at the usual meeting place at noon. Don't be late, or else you shall be punished for such an act" announced Persona. And with that, he vanished out of their sight.

Mikan and Natsume stood in silence even after Persona left.

"Well…" spoke Mikan awkwardly, "what now? You've got just under three hours till noon. What are you going to do now?" she asked. Natsume continued to stay silent for a few minuted before finally answering with an "I don't know", making Mikan want to shoot him.

"Come on, let's go" she said as she grabbed Natsume's arm and dragged him out the door.

"Oi, stop dragging me, Polka Dots" demanded Natsume. Mikan stopped walking and let go of Natsume's hand. She then walked behind him and started to push him. Natsume rolled his eyes. 'Geez, this girl…' he thought to himself.

A few minutes later, they arrived in front of the Northern Forest. Natsume gave her a questioning look as asked her, "What the hell are we doing here?" he asked her. Mikan smirked at him as she stepped in front of him and replied, "Find and catch me" as she vanished into the Northern Forest.

Natsume let out a string of curses and muttered, "Stupid Polka" under his breath before going into the Northern Forest after her.

* * *

><p>Sumire, along with the rest of the group were taking a walk around the school grounds since there was nothing to do.<p>

"Oi, isn't that Natsume and Mikan? What are they doing?" asked Anna, pointing towards Natsume, who was being pushed by Mikan. The group turned towards the direction Anna was pointing towards to just see Mikan and Natsume disappear around the corner.

"What do you think they're doing?" repeated Anna curiously as she proceeded to walk again. The rest of the group stayed silent until Sumire broke it.

"Maybe they're going to spend some quality time together" she said. Anna and Nonoko smiled.

"Yeah, they both make a cute couple" commented Nonoko. Sumire and Anna agreed. All heads turned towards Hotaru when they heard something click.

"What's wrong, Imai-san?" asked Ruka, trying taking a step closer to Hotaru only to be stopped by her Baka Gun.

"Don't come any closer to me" she said, facing him. She then turned to face the rest of the group whilst lowering her Baka Gun as Ruka took a few steps away from her.

"It would be better If Hyuuga stayed away from her every now and again" spoke Hotaru. She then continued, "Same goes for the rest of you. It'll be better not to know certain things. I was told by Mikan a couple of days after I met her when we were younger. I didn't consider taking the advice. I'm glad I didn't. But, it only benefitted me. Not for Mikan. She was deeply hurt when she had to tell me about herself" Hotaru then turned away from the group and proceeded walking.

"Wait…HOTARU!" Koko called out. Hotaru slowly turned her head around and looked over her shoulder and waited for Koko to continue speaking.

"Um, yeah, Hotaru… Why is it that we don't know much about Mikan-chan? What's her Alice?" he asked her. Hotaru turned her head back to how it was and continued to walk, followed by the rest of the group

"I am not the one to tell you. Ask me anything about anyone else. Just not about Mikan. As unfair as it may seem, it's fairer for you to not know than her. By all means, you're lucky to not know, while it's killing Mikan inside. I'm going back to my lab to finish off my inventions now" was all that was said before Hotaru departed herself from the group and headed towards her lab.

"Wait! Imai-san!" called out Ruka, running towards Hotaru. "I'll come, too" he said. Hotaru stared at him for a long moment before proceeding walk. Ruka smiled, hearing no objects quickly jogged to catch up with her.

The rest of the group stayed back and watched Hotaru and Ruka's retreating figures until they disappeared.

"Come to think of it, not only Mikan and Natsume, but also Hotaru and Ruka would make a cute couple as well" Anna commented. Nonoko agreed, smiling.

"Come on, how about we go out to the park or something?" Koko recommended. Everyone agreed and started to make their way towards the park that was about a ten minute walk away from where they were. Before they entered the park, Koko spoke.

"I want a game of tag. Mochu's in" was all he said before running away, followed by everyone else, leaving Mochu behind to prcess what just happened before finally chasing after his friends.

* * *

><p>Natsume leaned forward onto his knees and breathed heavily. He'd been searching the forest for the girl for just over an hour and a half and still no luck on catching her.<p>

"Damn, the girl is good" he muttered under his breath as he looked around him.

"Where the hell are you, Little Girl?" he called out, his patience thinning.

"Come on, Pervert! Use your other senses, too! Not only your sight!" Mikan called out from somewhere in the forest. Hearing her voice, Natsume turned around, trying to search for her.

From where she was watching, Mikan couldn't help but giggle. He had been trying to catch her for over an hour and a half already and he was still clueless upon how to find her. She smiled when she saw Natsume stand up straight and close his eyes.

'Finally, he knows how to do the job' she thought, her smile growing wider.

Natsume closed his eyes and focused on the things around him. He heard something move behind him and immediately, he leaped towards the tree nearest to him and started to jump to random trees until he thought that he lost Mikan. He then closed his eyes again and waited for the same thing to happen. He heard something move on his right and immediately made his way towards the area until he spotted Mikan.

Before he could take another leap closer to Mikan, she turned her head around and smirked at him and said, "Good job, Jerk. Step one: How to find out where I am- complete. Step two: How you catch me. Well then, let's see how you'll catch me" and with that, she jumped down onto the ground and waited for Natsume to follow her suit before running away from him.

Natsume jumped up onto a tree branch and leaped his way from tree to tree, trying to catch up to the fast girl. He started to gain up on her when he stopped and started to think. Mikan slowed down when she realized that Natsume was no longer chasing her, Mikan smiled again.

"He's a good student" she murmured as she stopped running herself, turned around and waited for Natsume to make a move.

Mikan stood still with her eyes closed and patiently waited for Natsume for do whatever it was he was planning to do. When she didn't hear Natsume do anything, she opened her eyes and was about to call out Natsume's name when she felt Natsume's presence behind her. Quickly turning around, she saw Natsume advance towards her, making her smirk before running towards him. She graciously flipped over him and looked back to see him also turn around. Mikan smirked straight at him, making him pop a vein.

"Don't push it, Polka Dots" he called out from the distance. Mikan let out an innocent smile and replied.

"What could you possibly mean? Because, well, I mean, it's been almost two hours since we started and you're nowhere near catching me" she shouted at him. Natsume popped another vein upon hearing what she said.

"No need to rub it in, Polka" he muttered under his breath as he jumped onto a tree and worked his way closer to Mikan. From where he was, he watched Mikan make her way towards a tree and lean against it. He then made his way towards the tree by jumping from tree to tree until he was right on top of her. He was about to jump down when he stopped and thought for a moment.

'Patience' he thought, 'that's what she's aiming for.' Natsume then waited for about another six minutes or so before jumping down next to Mikan and grabbed onto her wrist, preventing her from running away.

Mikan turned her head to the right when she heard Natsume land next to her. She stared at Natsume, who had an arrogant smirk on his face.

"Wipe that smirk off your face" she demanded.

"And why?" Natsume cockily asked her. Before replying, Mikan held up her hand, mutely asking Natsume to let her go, which he did immediately before shoving his hands into his pockets.

"Because, now you've got extra running to do" she said in a bored tone. "Start warming up" she instructed, as she started to warm up herself. Natsume obeyed and started to do his own warm ups. Seeing this, Mikan grinned.

"Wow, you know how to listen" she commented.

"Shut up" grunted Natsume. Mikan shook her head and smiled. After ten minutes, she stood up and told Natsume to get ready.

"Alrightio, let's start. Just follow me" announced Mikan. She turned around and took a few steps forward. She then stopped and looked over her shoulder and added, "Oh, yeah. And try to keep up" with a smirk on her face before running off, not bothering to wait for Natsume.

"I swear… that girl's going to get it later" Natsume muttered as he ran after her.

* * *

><p>Mikan was leaning against a tree as she watched in amusement as Natsume trying to catch his breath. Natsume seeing this didn't appreciate how Mikan was looking at him.<p>

"You're…en…joy…ing…this…aren't…ya?" he spoke slowly, taking breaths in between whilst glaring at her. Mikan innocently smiled at him.

"Well, I've got to hand it to you. You were able to keep up" she admitted, going into a thinking position. She checked her watch and then walked towards Natsume and slapped his back.

"Come on, it's time for your mission, no? It's about ten minutes to three. I'll be taking my leave now. See you later." Mikan was about to walk away when she stopped mid pace and quickly asked, "Wait, when are you going to come back from your mission?"

"I should be back in two or three days" Natsume replied. Mikan smiled and nodded.

"Alright then, be safe" she spoke with a bright smiled before jogging off as Hana and Daichi appeared.

"Yo" called out Daichi as he and Hana approached Natsume, who's only reply was a grunt.

* * *

><p>Mikan quickly made her way towards her room at full speed and quickly changed into dark blue jeans with black, long sleeved shirt that was able to cover her tattoo on the lower back of her neck tucked into her jeans, which were held up by a tan coloured belt. She then quickly grabbed her 'Black patent leather Glint boots' and her mask and quickly headed out to the Northern forest after taking her tablet, making it just in time as Persona made his way towards Natsume, Hana and Daichi.<p>

"Alright Sakura, come on. We don't have all day" spoke Persona. Mikan grinned. At the moment she was on a tree branch, watching everyone from the tree branch.

Mikan gracefully jumped down and landed without a sound. "Alright then, let us get on with it" said Mikan.

Persona leaned against a tree and started to speak. "Your mission is to collect information from the AAO for the academy so that we are aware if AAO are ever to plan any future surprise attacks on us. They have tight security. People who will not hesitate to attack and kill and by all means, I hand you over weapons. Kuro Neko and Ken- guns, Rose- daggers, and Sakura- Metal rod" he said as he handed all of them their weapons.

"Now, Sakura, that metal rod, as surprising and hard to believe as it is, it is the most dangerous weapon of all. Once you hold it a certain way in a certain situation, a blade will come out. The metal rod is small. Press a button and it will be as long as you are tall. Now, back to the mission. You get a week, but I expect you to finish in, at most, five days. Now, go. Mission starts no" announced Persona.

Daichi, Hana, Mikan and Natsume all leaped onto separate trees and made their way out of the school to the AAO. All of them stayed silent as they started to travel together until Hana broke the silence.

"Well, there will be killers that will have to avoid. Thing is, how do we tell who's the trained killer or not? I mean, I bet they're trained well. And when I mean 'well' I mean 'WELL'."

Mikan glanced at Hana and replied, "I have no idea. But everyone looks like a killer to me"

All heads turned towards her direction. Mikan merrily shrugged and added, "Its job requirement." Daichi grinned in her direction.

"Oh, come on. Do I look like a killer to you?" he asked her teasingly. Mikan turned towards his directing briefly and answered sarcastically, "Yes, you kill my patience."

Daichi smirked for a brief moment before it disappeared as they approached the AAO.

"Well, that was quick" muttered Daichi.

All of them sneaked in without a sound, careful not to do anything that will catch attention. A soon as they made it in, Mikan quickly voiced out a plan.

"Alright, we split into two groups. One takes north and east, other takes south and west. Take in every detail possible, even ones that are probably useless. I want every little piece of detail there is on this damn son of a bitch place, got that?" she told them seriously. All nodded.

"Alright, Ken and Kuro Neko, you take North and East. Rose and I will South and West." And with that, they parted ways to do their jobs.

* * *

><p>For two days, the four worked their brains out, collecting every detail they could find from the security cameras to times when guards change shifts to even what the guards are given to eat. Tomorrow was going to be the day that they were going to collect the information- their true mission.<p>

Natsume had arrived back from his mission that day and chucked his mask aside on the couch. He went into his bedroom to see a figure lying on his bed.

'When the hell did Polka Dots get in here?' he wondered as he walked closer to the bed. He then heaved a sigh and went to take a shower.

Five minutes later, he came out all refreshed, clean and sleepy. He wondered where the hell he was going to sleep since Mikan was sleeping on his bed, and there was no way he was going to sleep on the couch. He stood there for about ten minutes until he thought, 'ah, hell with it. It's her fault for sleeping on my bed'.

He carefully lay down on his bed, making sure he didn't move too much to wake her and covered himself with the blanket. He was about to drift off when he felt a body press beside him. He looked down to see Mikan snuggled against his chest. Seeing this, he smirked.

'Little Girl's going to wake up to regret sleeping here tonight' as he pulled her closer to his chest before finally drifting off to sleep.

* * *

><p><strong>AN**: CHAPTER 18~ I hope you enjoyed it.

I planned on finishing this a week ago, but I lost track of time. Sorry. I'm not too sure about how I'll work out the next chapter. But… I won't make Natsume find out anything about Mikan…just yet, anyways. Though, it won't be too long until Natsume finds out.

Want to know _when_ Natsume will find out about Mikan being Sakura? I'll tell you… if you review me. I'll PM you. Anything you want to know? Ask me and I'll reply. But, I won't tell you anything if I think it will ruin the whole story.

REVIEWS, please. Tell me what you think (:


	19. Mission: Change of plans

Disclaimer: I own only Hana, Daichi and Akatsuki. I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: I still suck at grammar.

* * *

><p>Natsume slowly opened his eyes and softly groaned. He suddenly remembered his mission today. He was about to get out of bed when he felt a warm body press against him. Looking down, he almost face palmed himself. How could he have forgotten about her?<p>

Smirking, he decided to lie down on the bed again and catch up on some sleep after checking his clock beside the bed. 'It's only five in the morning. Might as well continue to sleep' he thought as he yawned, closed his eyes and slowly drifted off to sleep whilst hugging Mikan.

A few hours later, Mikan woke up and opened her eyes, only for them to be met by the sun's powerful rays. Softly grunting, she turned around to see a bare chest next to her, name Natsume's. She then, finally realised that Natsume was sleeping with her, lay frozen in the bed, in Natsume's arms. As she slowly snapped out of her trance, her eyes widened further. 'What in the earthly mother of oceans…?' she thought, slowly turning her head towards Natsume. When she fully snapped out of her trance, she screamed as she shot up from the bed.

Hearing a scream, Natsume sat up immediately and turned to look at Mikan.

"What the?" he cried, covering his ears. Mikan glared at him and slapped his arm.

"What the _WHAT_! Why on earth are you sleeping in the same bed me?" shouted Mikan as she started to punch Natsume's chest. Not bothered to dodge anymore of her punches, he slid out of bed and stood up. Mikan stared at him.

Seeing this, Natsume smirked. He put his hands up arrogantly and said, "Like what you see, Polka dots? I'm amazed you can resist such temptation." Mikan rolled her eyes as she got out of bed and walked over to Natsume. Now it was Natsume's turn to stare. Mikan was wearing a tank top and short shorts, all hugged against her body. Though, he was somewhat disappointed that her hair was still tied up. He suddenly saw Mikan raise her eyebrows as she crossed her arms over her chest.

"Like what _you_ see, Pervert? I'm _amazed_ you can resist such _temptation_" she mocked him as she turned around to leave to her room. She was then stopped in her tracks when she felt someone grab her wrist. Turning around, she asked, "What is it, Natsume?"

Natsume stared into her eyes before letting go and replied, "Nothing" and turned around to refresh himself for the day. Shrugging her shoulders, Mikan turned the door knob, opened the door and went to her room to refresh herself for the day.

Natsume bent down and washed his face violently. What the hell did he just do? What's wrong with him all of a sudden?

"I swear I need to be tested to see if I'm crazy" he muttered to himself after he dried his face with a towel. He made his way to the living room after he changed into dark grey button down shirt with the sleeves rolled up to his elbows and denim jeans. He was about to go outside to his balcony when he heard someone knocking on his door.

'Probably Polka' he thought as he went to open the door. When he opened the door, revealing who was waiting outside, he raised an eyebrow.

"Seriously?" he asked the person.

* * *

><p>Mikan was refreshed and ready for the day as she stepped out of her bathroom in an, for her, over-sized men's dress shirt which stopped at her mid-thigh, the sleeves rolled up to her elbows, denim shorts (in case any wind was to suddenly arrive out of nowhere) and a black belt around her waist. Sumire and the girls had left her a message two days ago, saying they wanted a girl's day out. And knowing Sumire, Mikan guessed it would be either bowling or hunting for something at the shops. And knowing that it would least likely be bowling, Mikan readied herself to go shopping. After she grabbed her black shouldercross body bag, she thought about what type of shoe she should wear. Not bothering to think, she grabbed the pair closest to her- Osage Black Multi Leather high heels. Shrugging, Mikan quickly put them on and headed out the door as she put on her watch on her wrist.

As she closed the door to her room, she saw Natsume talking to someone. Well, he _was_ talking to the person until he saw her coming out of her room. Natsume had stopped his conversation with the person and stared at Mikan. Mikan raised an eyebrow at the person Natsume was talking with as she slowly approached the person.

"Hey Ken. Whatcha doing?" she asked casually as she stood in the middle of Natsume and Daichi. Daichi shrugged and shoved the heavy, long plastic bag looking thing into Natsume's hands before replying.

"I was told to give this to him and wear it for his mission tonight. But this guy won't wear it" stated Daichi. Mikan raised both her eyebrows and stepped closer to Natsume to unzip the plastic bag he was holding his hand, which revealed a charcoal grey suit along with a white slim fit cutaway collar shirt and tie. Taking them out, Mikan grinned and held it up to Natsume, to see how he would look in it. Natsume couldn't help but roll his eyes at her as he waited for her to put down the dang suit and put it back into the bag.

"Alright, alright, that's enough" he said as he opened the bag and waited for Mikan to put it back into the bag. Mikan huffed and carefully put the suit into the bag and zipped it up. As soon as Mikan stepped away from the bag, Natsume nodded, satisfied and was about to walk back into his room when Daichi stopped him.

"By the way" he called out "catch" and with that, he threw a pair of shoes at Natsume, who skilfully caught it.

"What the in the…?" he trailed off, staring at the shoes. "Are you sure that we're doing a mission? Because it seems like we're attending some kind of wedding or some shit" stated Natsume. Daichi shoved his hands into his pockets and turned around as he answered Natsume.

"Yes, we're completing a mission. Just make sure you wear those, or else Sakura will strip you out of your clothes and dress you up herself. And trust me, she will" he said, looking over his shoulder.

Mikan couldn't help but laugh at what Daichi just said. "Alright then, bye Natsume!" she said as she closed the door for Natsume and quickly ran after Daichi.

When she caught up with Daichi, she linked her arm with Daichi's, though he just unlinked them and put his arm around her shoulders and spoke.

"You enjoy acting clueless, don't you" he stated. Mikan raised an eyebrow.

"What on earth could you be talking about, Ken?" she asked innocently. Daichi rolled his eyes.

"You know what I'm talking about. You're the one that assigned that suit for him. Honestly, I come back from my mission to see two suits on my bed- One for Hyuuga and one for me. Seriously, woman, what's with you and people in suits?" asked Daichi. Mikan grinned and wrapped her arm around Daichi's waist and answered.

"It makes them look sexy. Either way, it's also because of the…yeah. It seems that they will be holding some sort of party meet up with other people. And it's the best way for us to go in. It's not like they will have people stop us at the door" she replied, still grinning. Daichi rolled his eyes again.

"Whatever. Come on, you should go and meet up with those friends of yours before you get your head blasted off by Imai for being late" he said. Mikan couldn't help but laugh She didn't even bother to ask him how he knew about her meeting her friends today.

"Alright, bye Ken!" she called out as she jogged her way towards Hotaru's lab.

For the rest of the day, Mikan had a day out with the girls, Hana and Daichi trained while Natsume stayed in his room glaring at the suit (not for the whole day, but you get what I mean). Soon, it was almost time for their mission…

* * *

><p>Mikan had come back from her day out with the girls and decided to get ready for her mission. Today was going to be a different kind of mission she's ever had before. She had sent Hana, Daichi and Natsume clothes because she was told that the AAO was holding some sort of event tonight, so she had to quickly pick out clothes she thought would look good on her fellow mission-mates and sent it to them. She could only hope that Natsume will wear it.<p>

She went to get her clothes and lay it down on the bed. She then stood in front of the shower, wondering if she should take a shower or not, because she was sure that she would get dirty again after the mission. Though, since she was wearing such good clothes, she decided to go take a quick shower to refresh herself for the long night. She quickly grabbed a few things and took a shower and took no longer than 10 minutes.

Mikan came out of the steamy bathroom and walked over to her bed and bent down onto the floor, and pulled out a big box. She grunted as she picked up the box and put it on the bed. Taking a deep breath, she opened the box, revealing smaller boxes inside, some holding eye shadows, lip glosses, hair ties, hair straighteners/curlers- everything!

Eying the big box, she then look out a comb and ran it through her long, sort-of-wavy brunette hair a couple of times to undo any knots in her hair. She then grabbed her hairdryer, plugged it in and started to quickly dry her hair here and there, purposely messing it up a bit. When she was done, she quickly put on her clothes and looked into the mirror and let out a small smile.

'I guess it's not so bad' she thought. Mikan then went over to her draw filled with her mission stuff, took out her mask and put it on.

"At times like these, I'm glad this mask doesn't have a string to keep it on my face. Thank goodness for there is such thing as an Alice' Mikan thought to herself jokingly. With one last look in the mirror, Mikan ran a hand through her hair and grabbed her shoes and went out to her balcony after she swallowed a tablet. She also put one extra one in her black purse she was carrying, which also carried her metal rod that was given to her for the mission.

Closing her eyes, she breathed in the fresh air and leaped onto a tree branch and took her usual route that she takes to the Northern forest.

Mikan was making her way to the Northern forest when she saw Natsume also making his way towards the Northern forest.

"Oi, Hyuuga" she called out as she caught up with him. Natsume's eyes widened behind his mask when he saw 'Sakura' quickly jog up to him. He couldn't help but stare at her. She looked amazing. She was wearing a black striped signature stretch 1-button blazer white which was over a fitted long sleeved shirt, with the first couple of buttons undone, tucked into a black high waisted pencil skirt that reached her knees. As Sakura made her way closer to Natsume, he unconsciously took a step back in order to keep his full body view of her. He then looked down at her shoes only to raise an eyebrow at what he saw. (You can search up the stuff on Google).

'High heels again…' he stated. She was wearing Black Crinkle Faux Leather Front Zipper high heels. 'Honestly…how do women wear those?' Natsume wondered to himself. Mikan noticed that Natsume was staring at her feet and she wandered what he found so interesting about her feet, unless he was interesting in shoes… Mikan shook her head and inwardly laughed. No way. That would be least likely. She had to find shoes for Natsume herself, which were Italian leather shoes. She had to admit to herself. She has style.

"You look good" she complemented him. She heard him chuckle. "Don't be so full of yourself. It's only thanks to me that you're able to look as good as you do now" she added.

"Wow, look who's so full of themselves now" commented Natsume. Mikan rolled her eyes.

"Whatever" she said. She then smirked and twirled around and said, "Like what you see?" she playfully asked him. She heard Natsume scoff.

"As if" he said. Mikan laughed.

"I know you were staring at me when I when I was approaching you. No need to deny it, Kuro Neko. It's hard to resist me. Don't worry" she teased him.

She suddenly felt someone glare at her. Turning around, she saw Natsume facing her. Though, unable to see because of the mask covering his face, Mikan was still able to practically feel the glare that Natsume was directing towards her direction. Mikan put her arms up in the air playfully and took one step away from him.

"Alright, we should get going anyway. We're due in less than 10 minutes" announced Mikan before heading off, leaving Natsume to catch up with her.

* * *

><p>Persona, Hana and Daichi were waiting for Mikan and Natsume to arrive. Even though they weren't due in about 10 minutes, usually on the day of the mission- well, on missions like these- they are often wanted at least 15 minutes earlier and 5 minutes at the latest.<p>

When Daichi saw two figures approach them, he pointed to them and the two other heads turned towards the direction that he was pointing and rolled their eyes. When they were close enough, Person spoke.

"Glad you finally decided to join us. Mission starts in just over 5 minutes. Sakura's in charge… as usual" he told them as he turned around after nodding at Mikan, mutely telling her to tell them whatever was needed to be told. Returning a nod, Mikan spoke.

"Alright, reason why you're all dressed up is because I received news that the AAO was holding some sort of gathering tonight. So, we might have a better chance of entering the area, as well as going in and getting what we need, as well as see who the AAO could possibly have any connections with, so we can avoid that" she told them. She then continued as she turned around.

"I assume you all have your weapons?" she asked them. She waited for them to all show her their weapons. Daichi and Natsume took out their guns from inside their coats and Hana took out her daggers from under her shoe.

"How the-" Natsume was about ask when he was cut off by Sakura.

"Having an Alice helps a lot. She learns from me" she told him. She then focused back on the rest of the group and spoke.

"The weakest part of the whole association centre is the north wall from what I have seen and-" she was then suddenly cut off by Natsume.

"Hold on, why the North wall? We clearly saw the North wall was the one that had the most guards" said Natsume, frowning. Sakura turned around and faced him.

"Yes, indeed. And the reason why I told you to note every single detail possible, even the worthless ones that we think we probably wouldn't even need. But actually, it comes in handy. The amount doesn't always count. It's always the power within. Those guards are only beginners at the job have no idea on what the heck they're doing. How do we know this? From the things you picked up when we were noting on things- The details on their clothes, of course. Their uniform is different to the ones from on the guards on rest of the building" answered Sakura. Natsume frowned.

"How do you know? The uniforms were the same, weren't they?" he asked, confused.

"No, the guards from the North side of the building have navy lines on the collar. The AAO have black lines for the stronger guards" explained Mikan. "Alright, we've got a mission to do" she added, "We should get going."

Persona nodded and took a step forwards. "Alright, I have… not much to say, actually. Well, I guess… Don't die, and make sure you finish the job. Remember, these people will not hesitate to kill you if they find out who you are. So try and keep low…somehow…" Persona trailed off. "Alright, mission starts now. I expect you back by tomorrow night at most- even though you get three or four extra days." Everyone either: laughed, chuckled or scoffed at what Persona said.

"Alright, go" was all Persona said before disappearing into the night.

"Alright people. Let's go" announced Mikan. "Hold onto me" she added. Natsume stared at her weirdly, not that she would have seen, anyway. Daichi and Hana had already grabbed onto both her shoulders and were waiting for Natsume to hurry up. Shrugging his shoulders, Natsume stepped forward and grabbed her hand.

Mikan entwined her hand with his, closed her eyes and concentrated. Seconds later, they were just outside the AAO, balancing on a tree, where they had the greatest view where the front entrance of the AAO was. Already, they could see people entering the place.

"Wow…" Natsume heard Sakura mutter next to him. "I have to admit, they're good" she told them. He then saw her search for something in particular. Before he could ask her what she was looking for, she muttered something.

"Ah…Shit. They have bodyguards" Mikan muttered. She sat down on the tree branch and closed her eyes.

"Great, so…how do we get in, exactly?" questioned Hana. Mikan closed her eyes behind her mask and thought for a moment. She then glanced at Natsume then to Daichi, then to Hana. They were all in the clothes Mikan had given to them. Seeing how good they looked in the outfit she gave them, she couldn't help but praise herself.

"Well, I'll just have to use a little magic, don't I" said Mikan. Natsume saw Hana and Daichi smirk, causing him to be confused.

'What..?' he wandered to himself. He then shrugged. He might as well go along with whatever crap these people are planning.

* * *

><p>"Are you out of your <em>fucking<em> minds?" Natsume exclaimed. At the moment, Sakura was getting ready to make her way to the entrance of the event, where the guards were checking who was entering. Daichi leaned up against a tree that was behind him casually. Even though he was wearing his mask, Natsume could feel him rolling his eyes at him.

"Well, Kuro Neko… When you work with people like them" said Daichi, pointing towards Hana and Sakura, "You end up not giving a shit and just go with whatever they've got…that is, unless you have something in mind?" Daichi questioned him. For some reason, Natsume thought that Daichi had raised an eyebrow at him.

Not bothering to bother anymore, Natsume shrugged his shoulders and found his own tree to lean against and watched as Sakura and Hana made some sort of plan to… do whatever is was that they were planning.

Natsume tried to hear what they were saying but he couldn't. They were speaking way too low for his liking. Though, he was able to read their lips…kind of. He narrowed his eyes when he suddenly realised what they were planning to do.

'What the… I swear these people are completely out of their _fucking MINDS_. They're lunatics' he thought as Sakura and Arakaki made their way over to Nishimura and himself.

"Alright, we've got to get going. But we're going to need you both to help us. I don't care if you'll feel awkward, just do it. Ken, you're with Rose whilst Kuro Neko, _lucky you_, you're with me" said Sakura as she grabbed Natsume's arm and dragged him to the front gate of the AAO, followed by Hana and Daichi, who were not far behind.

When they were one turn away from entering the long path to walk up to the actual entrance of the event, Sakura stopped in her tracks, which also stopped Natsume in his tracks, which also stopped Hana and Daichi.

"Alright" she started off, "This is where your acting skills will have to kick in. Kuro Neko…Ken, we're going to need you to play along. You should get the hint of what in the hecks we're doing as soon as we take a step on the path" she said. And with that, she proceeded walking and linked her arms with Natsume's, not caring about the people behind her.

Natsume frowned behind his mask and looked back to see Hana and Daichi not following them. He was about to ask Sakura what she was planning, she spoke.

"They're going to enter after us. Now, this is where the business starts…" she said. Natsume stared forward at the three body guards that were eying them as if he and Sakura were carrying bombs. Well, he wasn't, though he wasn't so sure about Sakura.

"What exactly are you-" Natsume started off, only to be cut off by Sakura.

"Just… act as if you're insane with me" she muttered without moving her mouth. Natsume, behind his mask, stared at her as if she had gone insane.

"What the in the f…f...uuu…" Natsume trailed off when he suddenly felt someone pinch his arm. Sakura slightly turned her head to look at him.

"Just do it" she ordered. Natsume raised an eyebrow though, nevertheless, he obeyed her and let his acting skills kick in.

'Now the only thing is to hope that he knows what I meant by _act as if you're insane with me'_ thought Mikan. Her thoughts were answered when Natsume put his arm around her waist. Mikan inwardly thanked whoever created masks because at the moment, she was she was redder than a person that had a sunburn from sun baking in the sun for the whole day under 40˚C.

"Why exactly are we doing this?" Natsume quickly muttered low enough only for her to hear. Mikan wrapped her arms around Natsume's right arm, which was currently around her waist, and hugged onto it, in order to be closer to him.

"You'll have to find out. Just play along" she told him. Whilst eying the body guard that was making his way towards them.

"Tch, whatever, but just to tell you, as surprising as this may be, I still want to live. I have someone I want to return to at the academy. You do something stupid and kill us all, I'll find you- wherever you are. I will find you and make sure you have the worst life EVER, got that?" Natsume threatened her. He could then practically feel Sakura roll her eyes behind her mask.

"Sure thing, Samuel" she said. Natsume raised an eyebrow and stopped walking, stopping Sakura along the way. The bodyguard seemed to stop in his tracks too.

"Samuel?" he asked her as if she had gone insane- scratch that, she had gone insane a long time ago.

"Well, you need a name. My name's Kate. Kate..."

"Beckett" Natsume finished off for her.

"What the fuck? Are you trying to _'CASTLE_'? If I'm Kate Beckett, you're Richard Castle" she exclaimed.

"You're the one who came up with the name Kate" spoke Natsume. Mikan rolled her eyes.

"You know what, whatever. Kate Becket, Richard Castle. Ew… that sounds weird. Richard doesn't suit you"

"Tch"

"What names do you prefer?" Sakura asked Natsume.

"I don't know, how about the name 'Max'?"

"Heck no, come up with something better" replied Sakura.

"Ian?"

"No way"

"How about 'Austin' then?" asked Natsume, starting to loose his patience.

"Reminds me of Austin Powers- Scary" she muttered.

"Oh, right. Nasty…" muttered Natsume as Sakura continued to stare at him and crossed her arms across her chest.

"You're not very good with this are you" she stated more that asked.

"No shit there" Natsume shot back. He heard Sakura heave a sigh.

"Fine then, how about… Nathan…Nate. Nate Castle?" she asked him. Natsume shrugged his shoulders.

"You're not so creative yourself" he told her.

"Yes I am! I'm just not bothered for you. Plus, your actual name beings with an 'N' so… yeah, it makes sense. Anyway, let's get going… _Nate Castle_" she said as she hooked her arms with his as Natsume put his arm around her waist.

"You better now screw things up" she quickly muttered.

"Hah, as if I will, it's _you_ who will be the problem… _Kate Beckett_" Natsume shot back. Sakura stayed silent for a while before replying.

"Yeah, probably" she muttered. Natsume's eyebrows shot up.

'She actually admitted it… that's just scary' he thought to himself.

"Now, it's all business. As soon as that guard comes up, just act cocky and… actually, just act like yourself, only… insanely in love…with me" she told him. Natsume couldn't help but raised an eyebrow.

"Tch, whatever" he replied as the guard came towards them.

'_This is going to be one hell of a mission'_ both of them thought.

* * *

><p>AN: HELLO~ Did you enjoy this chapter? I hope you did. I don't know.

So many people wanted to have Natsume to find out about Mikan's secret in this chapter. Sorry~ But he will find out SOOOOOOOOON! I promise.

Please leave a review and tell me what you thought about this chapter. And drop any questions if you want as well. (:


	20. Mission: Didn't see that coming

Disclaimer: The usual.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work. **I still suck.**

* * *

><p>Natsume stared at the masked crowd in front of him awkwardly. His mind was still trying to catch up with what just happened moments ago. "Well, we're in, by all means…and...-" he said, only to be cut off by Sakura.<p>

"We need to get to work. Rose and Ken are already in and looking around" she told him quietly before quickly disappearing into the crowd of people, returning fake smiles to the people that smiled to her, leaving Natsume behind.

Natsume out his hands in his pockets and followed her from a distance as he recalled what happened a moment ago.

-Flashback-

_The guard slowly approached them as if they were suspicious people- not that they weren't, of course- and eyed them carefully. Natsume studied the man in front of them, noting two guns on his belt, as well as a clipboard in his left hand. Natsume was about to ask Sakura what her next move was when she pressed the side of her body against the side of his body._

'_Oh…' he realised and stopped walking mid-pace to turn Sakura around. Sakura looked up at him and let a stupid grin appear on her face as she took a step closer to him and placed her hands on his arms, which were also, currently, also holding onto her arms._

_In the corner of their eyes, they both saw the guard stop walking and watch them._

"_So what now?" asked Natsume in a voice low enough only for her to hear. Sakura's stupid grin stayed on her face as she tilted her head up and let go of Natsume's arms and put her arms around Natsume's waist and hooked her hands up from behind._

"_Just do whatever you think is needed to be done. We can't allow those guards find out who we are and what we're doing here" she told him with her mouth hardly moving. Natsume stared at her for a long moment before shifting his gaze to his left where all three guards were watching them. He could see the other two guards making their way to them and if they came any closer, he would have no idea about what to do._

_Soon, the guards came closer and Sakura and he were slowly making their way closer to them acting mindless and as if they were drunk._

'_What the hell are we going to do?' Natsume wondered. He was starting to wonder if it was _him_ who was meant to make the move. His thought was answered when he felt Sakura press her elbow against his side._

_Then, everything happened in a blur. One moment, he put his arm around her waist, and the next moment, he had her mouth against his and they were kissing each other like there was no tomorrow. For some reason, Natsume always felt a familiar presence when he was with her; as if he's always with her, though he could never figure out who the person was. They continued to kiss and stumble forward/backwards- closer to the three guards._

_At the moment, Natsume couldn't help but imagine Mikan in his arms. Why did the girl have to have such a huge effect on him? He never knew his feeling for her until this morning whilst he was in the bathroom. What a weird place to realise such a thing. He had finally admitted to himself that he loved the girl. He wanted to make sure that he returned to the academy tonight and see her again. He was sure that he would no way in hell tell her he loves her, but he would try his best to know more of her- To find out more things about her._

'_I'll return to you soon… Mikan…' he thought as he wrapped his arms tighter around the woman that was currently in front of him at the moment and continued on with whatever business they were doing._

* * *

><p><em>Mikan closed her eyes when her lips met with Natsume's. She had no idea where he got the idea from, though she couldn't find the will to protest and decided returned the kiss. She was so glad she had Natsume wear a different mask tonight. She had given him a black mask with red swirls on the right side of the mask, and it covered all of his face but the area around his mouth and chin- like hers.<em>

_Mikan squeezed her eyes tighter together as they continued kissing each other. She knew it was all business- Professional work and nothing else. But she couldn't help it. She let herself drown in Natsume's scent for a while. She felt like crying as she continued to kiss him. How long was she to lie to him? When was she going to tell him about who she truly is? She doesn't want any more people to find out. If Natsume was to find out who she is, she was sure that he would never speak to her ever again until colourful pigs can fly, rainbows were black, grey and white and Youichi has the same hair as Natsume, himself._

_When Mikan finally came back to her senses, she started to try and move closer the guards. She knew Natsume knew what she was planning when he also played along. In the corner of their eyes, the saw the guards watch them in amusement, obviously enjoying the show. They had disgusting smirks on their faces. Mikan couldn't help but mentally scowl at them. She wanted to chop their heads off, but that was not allowed. She couldn't let herself kill tonight._

_When they were close enough, Mikan pulled away by a millimetre and then moved back in a kissed Natsume again. He seemed to get the message because as soon as she pulled away, he knocked out the guard closest to him._

_Mikan turned around and punched the guard that was in front of her, kneed him in the stomach, and then elbowed him in the back, bringing him down. She then made her way to guard with the clipboard in his hand. He tried to run away, though Mikan was faster and appeared in front of him and kneed him in the stomach, knocking the air out of him, as well as bringing him down. She then quickly knocked him out and fixed her clothes and turned around to see Natsume staring at her._

'Wow'_ she saw him mouth. If her mind wasn't running back to what they were doing just a moment ago, she probably would have laughed at him._

"_Come on, we need to go in. Ken and Rose are right behind us. Let's go. Make sure that you note as many things in the room as possible" she told him as she walked ahead with Natsume following not far behind._

-End of flashback-

Natsume shook his head, as if trying to shake the memory out of his head. He had kissed another person other than Mikan and at the moment he felt like ripping off someone's head. He continued to stress about the familiar presence he felt whenever he was with Sakura. From the distance, he watched as Sakura gracefully made her way around the room, turning her head in every place to note details as well as some of the people.

Natsume frowned behind his mask as he stared at her.

'She has brunette hair- just like Polka Dots' he thought. He then realised they had about the same height when he suddenly remembered Mikan wearing high heels, herself.

'Great, so they have the same hair colour as well as a same height range. What the hell is going on? I swear if they have any connections with each other, I will probably punch a wall multiple times' he thought as he looked down at the ground and ran his fingers though his hair. When he looked up, he saw a man in front of him, smiling.

"Hey, Good looking, what are you doing here all alone?" he asked Natsume playfully. Natsume glared at the man for a long moment as the man sweat dropped and started to feel nervous.

"Well…" the man said, "I'm Reo Mouri… Nice to meet you… I'll be on my way…" he trailed off as he walked away. Natsume stared at the retreating figure for along moment.

'There's something not right about that guy…' thought Natsume as he out his hands into his pockets and started to stroll around, ignoring the stares, whispers and squeals from the women around him. How on earth can women go all crazy about someone without even seeing the person's face? 'That's just plain scary' thought Natsume as he looked out, searching for Sakura.

'Damn, where the hell is that girl?' Natsume thought to himself. 'I swear, leave that woman out of your sight for a second and she'll be gone the next' he added.

He was about to turn away when he caught a glimpse of long brunette hair not so far from him. Natsume frowned when he saw who was talking to the woman.

'What the hell is Sakura talking to that annoying gay guy?' wondered Natsume as he made his way towards the two of them. Before he reached them, Natsume closed his eyes and took a deep breath before continuing to make his way to his partner and the gay guy.

* * *

><p>Mikan was looking around the area when she was suddenly stopped by someone. Mikan stared at the man for a moment before returning a fake smile to him.<p>

"Hello, I'm Reo Mouri" he introduced himself, holding his hand out for a shake. Mikan stared at the hand for a short moment before holding out her hand and shaking in.

"Why, hello, I'm S- Kate Beckett" she introduced herself. She mentally slapped herself for having to almost stupidly give herself away.

'I've got to be more careful' she thought to herself. In the corner of her eye, she saw Natsume advancing his way towards her direction. Mikan mentally thanked him for finding her. She didn't want to spend any more time with this man alone. She replied to some of the questions to, who was known as, Reo Mouri, which were often questions regarding her clothes- thankfully. She suddenly felt a hand move around her waist and lips pressed softly against the top of her head. Mikan looked up to see Natsume next to her.

"Hey, _Honey_, I've been looking all over for you. Honestly, you should tell me where you're going next time, _alright? _You wouldn't want me to _worry_ now, _would you_?_"_ Natsume told her in a secretly threatening tone. Mikan, behind her mask, raised an eyebrow.

"Of course, _Sweetheart_," she replied in a sarcastic tone, "we wouldn't want you _worry_ now, would we?" she added. "I'm _so_ sorry for worrying you" she said as she put her arms around Natsume, tilting her head up to look at him. They both glared at each other, completely forgetting about the person that was currently watching them in bewilderment.

Mikan and Natsume continued to glare at each other until someone spoke to them, making them break away from their glaring.

"Wow, you two are together? Introduce yourself, come on! The both of you- yes, introduce yourself again, too" Reo quickly added towards Mikan.

After inwardly heaving a sigh, both Natsume and Mikan introduced themselves.

"Hello, I'm Kate Beckett and this is my-"

"I'm her fiancée- Nate Castle" Natsume butted in. Mikan looked up at Natsume and glared at him, and started to emit waves that sent out a message of, _'what the fuck, man?'_

Natsume, as if _feeling_ the message being sent to him from the person next to him, looked at Sakura and shrugged his shoulders before turning back to Reo who started to get interested in their relationship.

"Wow, really? May I see you ring, Miss Beckett- soon to be Mrs Castle?" he asked, almost in a too polite tone that made Mikan feel weird. She was about to hold out her hand when she suddenly remembered something.

'Wait, what damn ring?' she asked herself. She shot a look at Natsume, who seemed to see- somehow- her panic. Natsume merrily shrugged, again, and held out her hand. When Natsume took her hand, Mikan closed her eyes. It was only when she heard someone blurt out "wow" that she opened one eye to see what was on her finger.

'What the…? How did he…?' Mikan looked up at the man next to her that was currently holding her hand, showing it to Reo. There it was, on Mikan's finger, was a white-gold, simple, lovely, elegant-looking ring with a small diamond on her finger.

"Wow, impressive. But I must say, don't women usually love bigger rocks, though?" Reo asked curiously. Mikan couldn't help but raise an eyebrow from behind her mask before answering.

"Well, I wouldn't know about that… Everyone has different tastes" she told him. "Everyone has different tastes for certain things" she added as she stared the ring, still trying to get over the shock and wonder about how the ring got onto her finger.

"Yes, I guess so…" Reo spoke to no one in particular. "Well, why the crimson colour for the stone?" asked Reo. Mikan and Natsume raised their eyebrow as they turned to look at each other.

'This guy is asking too much' they both thought. Mikan took the honour in answering the question that Reo had asked them. As Mikan put one arm around Natsume, leaning into his body, she replied, "Well, you see… Red is Nate's favourite colour and…-"

"I want to make sure that she has something about me on her at all times" Natsume finished off for her as he, also, put his arm around her.

"Yeah, what he said…" Mikan muttered as she looked around the place, her arm still around Natsume.

Reo slowly nodded, as he put himself in a thinking position. "I see, well… that's very nice…"

Mikan couldn't hear anything else as she blocked Reo's voice out of her head. She was about to end the conversation with him when she suddenly heard a telepathic message from Daichi.

"_**SAKURA, get out of there. It was a trap. All of this is an illusion. The person you're talking to at the moment- he knows who you are. Get out of there. NOW"**_

Mikan frowned_**. "Wait… wha-?"**_ she sent back, only to be cut off by Daichi.

"_**No, don't ask anything else, we have to get out of here before something hap…- Oh shit…"**_ she heard Daichi think.

Mikan frowned. Though, she wouldn't waste any more time. She turned around to face Natsume then to Reo. Though, when she looked at Reo's face she realised what Daichi had told her.

A few steps away from Mikan and Natsume, Reo stood still with an evil smirk on his face.

"Ah… fuck" cursed Mikan as she pulled away from Natsume and gripped onto his arm. Natsume didn't move a muscle, as if waiting for something to happen. Then, suddenly around them, the room started to change.

Mikan looked around and searched for Daichi and Hana. When she found them, she called out to them. "Are you alright?" she asked them. They both nodded in reply, though they seemed more worried about her and Natsume then themselves.

When the room finally changed into the original room, Mikan looked around to find herself in a prison-looking room, and across from her prison cell were Daichi and Hana.

"What the hell is going on?" she heard Natsume ask her from beside her as they both watched Reo take his time making his way closer to their cell.

"I have no idea, but I have a feeling it will be hell" Mikan muttered in reply. She then heard Natsume give out one final grunt as Reo spoke.

"Well, it's nice of you to join us today. You put up a really… a fantastic show for us to watch. I must say… your aliases were… quite interesting. Kate Beckett? Castle? You think we wouldn't know?" he mocked them. Mikan scowled from behind her mask.

"Well, we never thought you would be the type to watch such a show" she snapped at him. She then added, "What do hell do you want, for you to go through all this trouble just to trap us?"

Reo let out a half hearted laugh before answering. "Well, there are many things we want. But our the one thing we want most…is you"

Natsume frowned. "No way. Go screw yourself" he told Reo as he stood in front of Sakura protectively. Only, Sakura stepped in front of him and spoke.

"It all depends. Let the three go free and we will decide" she told him. Reo tutted.

"What sort of deal is that? Alright. But Kuro Neko is no exception. He must stay. The other two may go. Tell the academy if you want. But you won't be able to do anything. Not while two of the most powerful ones are in our grasp" and with that, Reo snapped his fingers.

From the distance, Mikan saw a man walk up to them and teleported them somewhere- hopefully the academy. After they were gone, Mikan hissed out, "I told you 'let the _THREE_ go free' not let the bloody _TWO_ go free"

Reo tutted again. "Well, dear one. I apologize, but that could not be done. Now, I guess all we're going to have to do now is to force you to allow us to use your power then" he stated as he turned around to walk away.

Mikan let out hiss. Reo stopped mid-pace and looked over his shoulder and spoke.

"Oh yeah, enjoy the time together while you can… before you have to make your own choices… _Nate Castle_ and _Kate Beckett_. Or should I say… _Natsume Hyuuga_ and… _Sakura Kana_?" he told them as he faced forward again and proceeded walking away.

Mikan walked to the front of the cell, where the bars where and kicked them multiple times. Hard. She then let out a frustrated sigh as she grabbed a fistful of hair.

Reo had stared her right in the eye when he said her cover up name. 'Damn, if that son of a bitch knows… I'm screwed' she thought as she let out another frustrated sigh.

Natsume stepped forward and tried to calm the woman in front of him down before she decided to rip herself into pieces.

"Calm down, it's not like you could have seen this coming" he told her. Mikan let out a low chuckle- a scary one.

"No… no… you have no idea. I should have seen this coming. You have absolutely no idea what they're going to do now" she snapped at him. Natsume frowned.

"What?" he asked in confusion. Mikan eyed him from behind her mask and shook her head.

"You have no idea, do you, Hyuuga" she stated more than asked as she walked to the back of the cell and leaned her back on the wall.

"No, I don't get any _fucking _word, meaning or explanation that's coming out of that damn mouth of yours" he snapped at her. Mikan narrowed her eyes and snapped back at him one finally thing before moving to a corner to sit down.

"It's going to be bloody _fucking_ HELL from now on- Either for me… or for you. Either emotionally or physically. They're going to make us choose who will go through the hell that they're planning for us. And trust me on this one. It won't be pretty when we have to choose."

* * *

><p>AN: HELLOOOOOOS~

Did you enjoy this chapter? I hope so. Well, I'm not too good at describing stuff, but I hope you got a fair idea upon what I was talking about.

Anyways, holidays are coming up soon... and I have no idea if I will be bothered to type up the next chapter at the usual times that I usually...type...chapters. Yeah. So...yeah... But I'll try to update soon.


	21. Mission: It's for the best

Disclaimer: The usual.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work. **I still suck.**

* * *

><p>"<em>It's going to be bloody fucking HELL from now on- Either for me… or for you. Either emotionally or physically, they're going to make us choose who will go through the hell that they're planning for us. And trust me on this one. It won't be pretty when we have to choose."<em>

Natsume shook his head violently. Currently, he was seated across the room from Sakura. Her final words to him, from before, kept repeating in his mind- haunting him. Letting out a frustrated sigh as he ran his fingers through his hair, Natsume looked over at Sakura who was still in the same position since she lay down. Natsume couldn't tell if she was actually sleeping or not since her back was facing him, but he took a guess that she was.

'Seriously… what's got her so worked up with this AAO academy?' Natsume wandered as he looked around the prison cell. He had to admit, for a prison cell, it wasn't so bad. It was just like a normal room, only there wasn't exactly a wall at the door, so anyone could see what they were doing. Natsume stared at the steel bars that were in front of him. He then let his sight look past the bars and then stared at the cell that Nishimura and Arakaki were in a while ago.

'I wonder how they're doing' he thought. Natsume then rolled his eyes. 'Damn, I'm thinking to myself too much. I need something to do now' he thought as he attempted to lie down on the ground, only to shoot back up into a sitting position he was in a moment ago.

'Well, I can't sleep or take a nap, that's for sure' he added as he looked around again. Sakura had taken the ground instead of the bed that was in the cell. And there was no way he would go onto the bed, knowing that a woman can lie down on the ground and he can't.

He was about to attempt lying down on the ground again when he heard footsteps approach the prison cell. Sakura must have heard it too because she shot up from the ground and stared at the bars, where they both saw Reo walking towards them… with a smirk on his face.

"What do you want?" snapped Sakura, already losing her patience. Reo merrily tutted and faced Sakura before replying.

"I want to make a deal. You agree, and you work for us, and I'll make sure everything runs smoothly. If you disagree, we'll just have to force it upon you and I'll make everything even more difficult for you" he told her.

From the distance, Natsume watched Sakura and Reo's conversation. He was quite impressed by how Sakura was able to control herself from trying to rip off Reo's head. After Reo told her his deal, he head Sakura let out a mocking '_HAH_', as if not believing it. She bobbed her head down, looking down at the ground, shaking her head and chuckling to herself.

Natsume stood up and slowly made his way towards her. He stopped when he was a couple of steps away from her. After a few moments, he saw Sakura look up at Reo straight in the eyes. Competitive

"Go screw yourself, Mouri" she snarled. Natsume looked at Reo, who looked at her in amusement.

"Hah, I would rather not. Wow, you're not going to give in, are you? You're just like that damn guy we caught a couple of years ago" said Reo. Natsume's head snapped toward Sakura when he heard her hiss. 'Does she know who the guy is?' wondered Natsume. His thoughts were pushed aside when he saw Sakura's body stiffen when she saw Reo hold up something in his hand.

Natsume looked over at reo to see him holding up a folder and smirking evilly at Sakura.

"You wouldn't happen to know what would be in this folder, would you?" he asked her slyly. Sakura let out a hiss and stood up whilst coldly glaring at Reo from behind her mask.

You wouldn't dare" she told him in a tone that was as if she were warning him that he would regret whatever it was that he planned to do.

Reo's smirk widened upon seeing Sakura's anger. "Actually, indeed I would. Now, it's either you join us, or this folder might slip out of my hand…and…_uh oh_" he added the last bit in a sarcastic manner.

'What the hell is going on?' wondered Natsume. 'It's still Monday night and I feel like shit already. Far out' thought Natsume.

Reo took a couple of steps closer towards their prison cell, and with the folder in his hand, he put his hand through the spaces between the bars and dangled the folder between his index finger and his thumb.

"You sure you won't change your mind?" he asked her, dangling the folder. Sakura stared at him, and from behind her mask, she raised an eyebrow.

"And are you sure you won't consider screwing yourself?" she asked him in a disrespectful manner- not that that could have any nice sides to it. Reo chuckled and within seconds, the folder hit the ground. Sakura kept her eyes on Reo as he walked away and immediately focused her attention on Natsume as soon as Reo was out of sight.

"What was that all about?" asked Natsume as he took a step closer to the folder, though still keeping his eyes on Sakura.

Behind her mask, Mikan closed her eyes and turned around to face the wall. "Find out yourself" she said, pointing over her shoulder towards the folder.

Natsume stared at Sakura for a long moment before taking a few steps closer towards the folder. Before bending down to collect the folder, Natsume took a final glance at Sakura's back. He then heaved a sigh, bent down, collected the folder and stood back up.

"So, what exactly am I to expect in this folder?" asked Natsume, holding up the folder in his hand, even though Sakura had her back facing him.

Mikan shut her eyes tightly and replied, "Probably something you wouldn't like too much" in a dull voice. Natsume's eyebrows shot up as he held the folder properly in his arm, ready to open it.

Mikan shut her eyes tightly together. Not being able to stand the atmosphere she was creating around herself, she spun around, opened her eyes just in time to see Natsume open the folder.

* * *

><p>Hana and Daichi stumbled forward on their feet from wherever they were teleported to. When they were finally able to get their heads straight, they realised they were in front of the academy. Hana and Daichi gave each other a look and both nodded. They needed to tell Persona about what had happened.<p>

"_**Persona"**_ Daichi sent a telepathic message, _**"a few things went wrong with the mission. We need to talk to you about it" **_he said. He didn't have to wait long for a reply from Persona.

"_**Alright then, where is Sakura?"**_ asked Persona.

"_**All will be explained. Just tell us where to meet and when"**_ replied Daichi.

"Northern Forest in five minutes" Persona told Daichi. Daichi nodded even though he knew Persona wouldn't see it.

"_**Alright then,"**_ he said, _**"See you in five."**_ And with that, Persona cut off the line. Daichi turned around and quickly told Hana what Persona told him. Hana nodded and they both made their way to the Northern forest in a flash.

In less than five minutes, Daichi and Hana reached the Northern forest, where they saw Persona already waiting for them. As soon as Daichi and Hana were close enough, Persona spoke.

"What is it that you needed to tell me?" he asked them. "And where is Sakura?" he demanded. Daichi and Hana calmed him down before speaking.

"That's the problem" spoke Hana. Persona stayed silent, waiting for her to continue, which she did.

"The AAO set us up, and at the moment, Sakura and Kuro Neko are within the AAO right now… in a prison cell- well, the last time we saw them."

"Sakura made a deal to let all of us go and keep her, but the AAO only let us off" Daichi added whilst walking over to a tree and leaning on it.

Persona stood where he was, emotionless. After a long moment, he turned around and walked away, only to be stopped by Daichi.

'Where are you going? Are we going to do anything?" asked Daichi. Persona looked over his should and spoke.

"No. We are to leave it up to Sakura. She knows what she's doing. She knew that the AAO would only let the two of you go and not her and Kuro Neko" he said. Persona then added, "Also, you two will attend class tomorrow, since you didn't attend class today. There will be class tomorrow, so be ready to…face a couple of problems…"

Persona then vanished, leaving Hana and Daichi behind, sweat dropping.

"Sheesh… That guy" heaved Daichi as he slip down to sit down on the ground.

"Yeah, I guess so" agreed Hana. "Well, we'll just have to trust Sakura on this one, like we usually do" she said. She then walked over to Daichi and held out her hand to help him up. Daichi grabbed her hand and stood up.

"Come on, we should get some sleep before the sun comes up. It's already 3 in the morning" said Daichi. Hana nodded and they both made their way to their dorms, both still hoping the best for Sakura and Kuro Neko.

* * *

><p>Natsume opened the folder slowly, aware that Sakura had turned around and was currently watching him. As soon as the folder was open wide enough to see what was inside it, he fully opened it within a flash and started to flick through the pages in either rage, or hope that all that was in front of him was a lie.<p>

'No…no…no… this can't be!' he called out in his mind. Natsume looked through the folder until he saw a profile of the girl he thought he knew well. He saw a picture behind the profile, revealing 'Sakura' ready to put on her mask. Natsume flipped back to the page where it had information about Mikan.

Natsume scanned his eyes across the two pages of information quickly. He then looked up from the folder and stared at the woman that was currently a couple of metres away from him with emotions radiating off of him.

Natsume held up the folder in one hand and spoke in a calm voice, "What the _fuck_ is all of this? Please tell me that all this _fucking shit_ is not true" well, he tried to speak in a calm voice. When the only reply that Natsume received from Sakura was silence and a turn of her head, Natsume advanced towards her within less than four huge steps. He then grabbed her arm and forced her to look at him, and held up the folder.

"IS ALL THIS SHIT TRUE OR NOT?" he ragged. From behind her mask, Mikan felt her eyes sting.

"Oh gosh, please, I don't want to cry now…' she begged. Mikan took a deep breath and spoke.

"Find out yourself" she told Natsume as she grabbed his arm and placed it over her mask. She placed her fingers over Natsume's, and together, they took the mask off, slowly revealing her face. Mikan quickly let go of Natsume's hand, in fear that he was reject her after he saw her face.

Natsume slowly took off her mask, slowly revealing her face. His eyes widened. No, it can't be. No, all of this is just some stupid prank. He then studied her face. Natsume then dropped the mask, which was currently in his hand, onto the ground. No. All is true. Those eyes, those beautiful orbs he knows so well. They were hers- Mikan's.

"Why…" he whispered. "Why didn't you tell me? You didn't tell me that you're…Mikan Sakura, and that you're also Persona's _younger sister_?" he asked her, looking into her eyes.

Mikan looked away, unable to look at Natsume in the eye. She felt as if she betrayed him. Wait, what was she telling about? Indeed, she DID betray him. He can no longer trust her. She had to get him out of the AAO as soon as possible.

"I didn't think that you needed to know" she replied softly. Natsume's eyes harden upon her answer.

"What the hell do you mean by that?" he asked her. He was determined to know anything else she was hiding from him.

"It means what it means, Natsume! I didn't think that you had the need to know!" she yelled. She then tried to activate a barrier around then that allowed only them to hear their conversation. Though, when she tried, she found out that it look some time to activate her Alice.

'There must be some sort of control around the cell that's trying to stop us from using our Alice' she realised. When she finally activated a barrier around them, she continued to speak to the quite impatient Natsume.

"There are many things that I have not, yet, told you. I will tell you soon" she told him. She then quietly added "that is, if you want to speak to me after this shit."

Mikan quickly deactivated her Alice when she heard footsteps approaching their prison cell. Mikan quickly walked over to her mask, which was on the ground, and collected it. Then, without looking at who approached their cell, Mikan spoke.

"What do you want, Reo" she spoke in a deadly tone. Reo tutted at the harsh tone he was given from Mikan before speaking.

"So, how was it?" he directed the question towards Natsume. "How was it, finally having to know the big secret she was keeping from you?" Natsume gave Reo a cold glare. Reo looked at Natsume in amusement.

"Alright then" said Reo. "Well, I hope you two were talking about who will start working for us" he added, letting an evil smirk appear on his face.

When Reo finished his sentence, Natsume's eyes slightly widened from behind his mask. There was no way in hell he was going to allow Mikan work for these fuckers now that he knows that she's the one in the prison cell with him at the moment. Natsume stepped in front of Mikan protectively and spoke.

"I will" he announced. From behind him, Mikan stepped aside so she was next to him and glared at him.

"What the hell?" she exclaimed. "No way are you staying here" she said with a cold glare. Natsume glared at her as well, and both went into a glaring contest and unknown to then, Reo watched the two in amusement. "I'll leave you two to it. I'll be back in ten" and with that, Reo walked away.

When Mikan was sure that Reo was out of ear shot, she spoke. "Natsume, I'll stay. You need to go back to the academy. You're not going to stay at the AAO" she told him.

"Why? You think I can't handle it?" he questioned her. Mikan shook her head.

"No, that's not it. It's just that… Geez, Natsume… just…please…"

"I'm only asking ONE thing, Polka- Why?" Natsume asked her. Mikan stared at Natsume, as he stared at her, waiting for a reply.

"Because you have NO idea on what they plan to do, whilst I DO!" she exclaimed. Natsume's eyes narrowed. He then started commenting on everything Mikan said, which started to annoy her.

A few minutes later, Reo reappeared, a smirk on his face.

'Ooooh, if only I weren't behind thee stupid son of a bitch bars, I'd wipe that smirk off that damn face of his, rip his ears off, staple them onto his neck-' Mikan's thoughts were cut off when Reo started to speak.

"I think that's more than enough time for you to decide. So, who is it?" asked Reo. Natsume took a step forward.

"Me" he announced. Mikan took two steps forwards, spun around, and faced Natsume. Mikan glared at him.

"Like I told you- You are NOT staying here" she told him.

"Like hell I'll listen" he told her. Mikan's eyes hardened upon Natsume's reply. She had to think of a plan. She spun around and faced Reo.

"Ten minutes at most. Last time" she told him. Reo rolled his eyes and walked away after replying, "Whatever."

Mikan and Natsume watched Reo retreating figure before facing each other. Mikan stared into Natsume's eyes and said, "Natsume… I'm sorry. But I'll do whatever it takes to get you back to the academy- where it's safe, and where I know people will protect you for my sake"

Natsume stared at her, confused. "What do you mean?" he asked her. He then saw Mikan take off something from around her neck and then put it around his. Natsume took it into his hand, and saw that is was a key.

"What is this for?" he asked her. Mikan didn't reply. Instead, she took off the multi crystal bangle that was around her wrist and gave it to Natsume.

"Honestly, what the hell is all of this for?" he asked her. Mikan took a step back and put her hand down her shirt and took out a pendant was around her neck as a necklace. It was a key.

Mikan could feel her eyes sting. After taking a deep breath, she spoke. "Throw them away if you want, but before I do this one thing… I'll tell you this. The key I gave you… is the key to my heart. Lose it, and my feelings will be locked forever" she told him. Natsume didn't understand anything she was saying. It didn't make sense.

"I-I don't get it. What do you mean? Why are you giving me all of this?" he asked her, taking a step closer. Mikan held out her hand, stopping him from walking any closer.

"Don't come closer" she told him. "I'm sorry. It's for the best" and with that, she closed her eyes and concentrated on activating her Alice.

'What are you _doing_, IDIOT?" barked Natsume when he realised what she was doing.

"I'm going to teleport you to the academy now. Bye, Natsume" Mikan replied in a quiet voice.

"NO!" yelled Natsume. When he was about to be teleported away, he heard Mikan say something in a voice that could have been barely heard that made his eyes widen.

Natsume arrived in front of the academy on his feet, only to drop onto his knees when he recalled what Mikan had whispered to him a millisecond before teleporting him away.

"_I love you…Natsume"_

"DAMN IT!" he yelled as he punched the ground.

* * *

><p>AN: Hey! Was this chapter alright?

School (term) holidays have started (for two weeks), I will, most likely, be very lazy… Well, I don't know… but yeah…

PLUS, I don't know how you all imagined how Natsume would find out about Mikan's secret, but now it's out. And if I disappointed you then…well…that…that sucks…and I'm sorry…

I hope you enjoyed this chapter(: I'll try to update the next chapter as quickly as possible...if I don't get distracted... Hehe [:


	22. Replacements

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work. **I still suck.**

* * *

><p><em>Alone. That is what he is at the moment. He was alone. Lost in a forest. He remembers being in the forest a couple of times already and yet he still didn't know where to go. He started to walk around, in search of a way to get out of the forest. He had been searching for what seemed like hours. He was about to take a seat on a nearby log when he heard something.<em>

_"Natsume" a familiar voice whispered. Natsume, hearing the familiar voice, whipped his head around every direction in search of the person who owned the voice._

_"I'm sorry" the person continued. Natsume's eyebrows furrowed. He knew the voice too well. He went into a jog and started to search for the owner of the voice._

_"Polka!" he called out whilst searching behind trees, in hope that she would be hiding behind one of them. When he heard no reply, Natsume called out again._

_"OI, POLKA DOTS, WHERE ARE YOU?" Minutes passes and… still no reply. Natsume was getting frustrated and he had the urge to grab a fistful of his hair and pull on it._

_"MIKAN!" he yelled. His voice echoed through the forest. When Natsume didn't receive a reply, he punched a nearby tree. He then rested his forehead on the tree, eyes closed, and focused on his breathing in order to calm down. He was almost done calming down when suddenly heard someone whisper his name from behind him. Whipping body around to face the person, his eyes widened upon the sight on the person in front of him._

_"Natsume…" whispered Mikan. "I'm sorry I didn't tell you anything…" she apologised. Though Natsume wasn't paying too much attention to was she was saying at the moment. He was still in shock by how beautiful she was. Mikan was wearing a satin gown with beaded high neck and open back with white leather J. Renee Women's Spruce shoes._ [Dress: http:/www(dot)simplydresses(dot)com/popups/biggerimage(dot)cfm?cataId=PD&productid=641189&imgindex=2] [Shoes: Google up- White leather J. Renee Women's Spruce].

"_Polka dots…" he murmured in a voice loud enough for her to hear. Mikan let out a sad smile and turned away from him and started to walk away. Natsume frowned. "Oi, where are you going, Polka?" he asked her, taking a step forward. Mikan made no reply and continued to make her way around the forest whilst holding up her dress so the end of the dress wouldn't touch the ground._

_Natsume followed Mikan to wherever she was taking him. It was only now that he started to note the things- other than trees- around him. The forest looked as if it had rained not too long ago, and the sun was bright. And with Mikan somewhat close to him, all seemed perfect. After a few minutes of following Mikan around the forest silently, Natsume stopped in his tracks and spoke._

"_Oi, Polka Dots, where the heck are you going?" he asked her. Mikan stopped dancing her way through the trees and jumping around and turned around to face Natsume with a small smile. They stayed still, looking at each other. Moments later, Natsume carefully took a step forward, as if Mikan would hurry and run away from him as if he was going to hunt her down and kill her. It looked that way from his point of view. Mikan looked so pure and innocent at the moment in all white under the bright sun._

"_Natsume" she spoke once Natsume had taken about five steps towards her. Natsume stopped in his tracks and frowned. Why did she tell him to stop? The distance between them was killing him._

"_What is it?" he asked her whilst looking up at her. Mikan was currently on a huge rock and swaying her dress from left to right._

"_I..." she started off, looking away to avoid his eyes. "I'm sorry" she said. Natsume starred at her in confusion._

"_What?" he asked her. Mikan closed her eyes and inhales deeply before opening her eyes again and looked into Natsume's eyes._

_"Honestly, Polka Dots.. Why did you do it? Why did you have to teleport me away?" he questioned her. Mikan looked away from Natsume.  
><em>

_"Natsume, I'm a selfish person-"_

_"The hell you are. You keep on thinking about everyone BUT yourself. You put yourself in danger and had the three other people in the team escape. You call that selfish?" Mikan looked back at Natsume, her eyes now hard._

_"I'm a selfish person, Natsume. Stop saying otherwise. Because everything I do is for my own benefit. I had you, Hana and Daichi escape for my own benefit. Because I wanted you to, alright?" she told him. Natsume scoffed. 'She called Nishimura by his actual name- Daichi. She didn't call him Ken. Something's wrong with her' thought Natsume._

_"Regardless, you're still thinking of others" he told her. Mikan turned her body away and stared ahead. Natsume continued talking._

_"What's going on, Polka?" he asked her. Taking a cautious step forward._

_Suddenly, the background started to change from the forest to a place he knew too well. A place he hated. The AAO prison cell. Though he paid no more attention to the background scene and focused on Mikan. Carefully, he took a step forward, only for Mikan to take a step back. Mikan was still holding onto the ends of her dress, making sure the ends of the dress were not to be ruined, though Natsume had a feeling that wasn't the only reason why she was having such a grip on her dress._

_"Let go of the dress, Polka. You're going to rip it apart" he told her. Mikan slowly let go of her grip on the dress. When she finally let go of the dress, she clenched her fists. Heaving a deep sigh, Natsume took three big steps towards Mikan. And again, Mikan took the same amount of steps backwards._

_"Stop" she told him. "Don't come closer. I'm sorry" she said. Natsume frowned._

_"No, not again" he said, taking a step forward. Mikan took a step back._

_"STOP!" she cried. Natsume instantly stopped in his tracks. "I'm sorry, Natsume. You should wake up now" she told him._

_"No. What are you talking about?" he asked her. Mikan let a small, sad smile appear on her face._

_"I'm sorry. It's for the best" she told him._

_'No...no, no, no... not this again. That's exactly what she said before she teleported me away last time. Not again' thought Natsume._

_"NO!" shouted Natsume. The background started to dim._

_"I love you... Natsume"_

_"NO!"  
><em>

* * *

><p>Natsume's eyes snapped open as he shot up from his bed, panting. It was just a dream, well, a nightmare, in his case. Natsume took a deep breath slowly lay back down on the bed. He concentrated on his breathing until he calmed down.<p>

"Damn it, I'm never going to get a rest, am I" Natsume mumbled. His eyes snapped open when he thought he felt Mikan's presence in the room. Natsume turned his head to the space next to him to see Mikan lying on his bed, her head rested on the pillow, smiling at him. Natsume's eyes widened.

'What…?' he thought. Natsume slowly sat up and reached his hand towards Mikan's laying figure on his bed. Before he could touch her, he blinked and she was gone. Rubbing his eyes, he realised it was just him. Mikan would definitely _not_ be in his room.

"Damn… it's been three damn days since that damn mission, and every time I wake up from sleep, I think she's here…next to me…" Natsume muttered.

"I swear I'm going crazy" said Natsume as he got out of bed and went to get ready for the day. Not that he was to look forward to anything today.

* * *

><p>"Just do it" Hotaru ordered. Anna sulked upon Hotaru's orders. But she would rather do what Hotaru ordered then be blasted in the head by Hotaru's Baka gun. Hotaru turned away and headed to class. She then stopped mid-pace and looked over her shoulder.<p>

"Meet in the studio at noon. Don't be late, or else" said Hotaru before continuing to proceed to class. Anna sweat dropped. What did she do to deserve this? Sure, she might have baked a few bad cakes here and there, but why this of all things?

Anna heaved a sigh and quickly made her way to class as she remembered the conversation she just had with Hotaru a moment ago.

-Flashback-

_Anna was making her way to class with Nonoko when she saw Hotaru advancing towards them._

"_Ah, hello, Hotaru" Nonoko greeted her._

"_Good morning, Hotaru" said Anna. Hotaru responded to them with a quick nod before turning to Anna._

"_I need to speak to you" she told Anna. She then turned her head towards Nonoko and added, "Alone." Nonoko smiled and nodded and quickly bid them goodbye._

_Anna and Hotaru watched Nonoko's retreating figure until it disappeared around the corner before starting their conversation. Anna turned to face Hotaru, who remained in the same position she was in whilst watching Nonoko's retreating figure. Hotaru stared blankly ahead for a moment before speaking.  
><em>

"_I'm going to need you to fill in a few spots for tomorrow evening for the Ball, since the person that was doing the job won't be able to make it, or at least, the person has a few things to handle and can't do it" said Hotaru. Anna looked at the back of Hotaru's head blankly._

"_What?" she asked dumbfounded. Hotaru turned around and threw a folder at Anna, who caught it with both of her hands._

"_I'm not going to repeat myself. Just read through that folder. It has all the roles you're going to do tomorrow evening" Hotaru told her. She then turned away and started to head to class. She then stopped walking and looked over her shoulder and added, "Oh, and don't tell anyone, or else I'll shoot you with my Baka gun. I'm aware that you know I will" _

"_WAIT, what about class?" asked Anna._

"_I have already consulted our teachers. They already know" Hotaru replied. Anna nodded to herself before heaving a sigh. She then faced Hotaru after walking in circles for a couple of minutes._

"_But… WHHYYY? Why _me_?" whined Anna whilst waving her arms about._

"_Just do it" ordered Hotaru. Anna sulked upon Hotaru's orders. But she would rather do what Hotaru ordered then be blasted in the head by Hotaru's Baka gun. Hotaru turned away and headed to class. She then stopped mid-pace and looked over her shoulder._

"_Meet in the studio at noon, studio 8. Won't be hard to find. It'll be the door right in front of you went you walk in. Don't be late, or else" said Hotaru before continuing to proceed to class._

-End of flashback-

Anna shook her head and laughed. Hotaru will always be Hotaru. Anna looked at the clock nearby and her eyes widened.

"AH! I'LL BE LATE FOR CLASS IF I DON'T HURRY!" she yelled. And with that, she ran as fast as she could to class.

"Honestly, what did I do to deserve this?" she muttered to herself as she slammed the classroom door open and greeted her friends, not forgetting to put the folder safely away for later.

* * *

><p>"Is that all you've got?" a voice uttered in a dim lighted room. From across the room, a red haired man grunted.<p>

"Shut up. I'll show you!" he shouted before charging towards the person who mocked him a moment ago. Mikan smirked and leaped out of the way.

"Come at me, Bro" she told him in a calm, arrogant voice with a smirk.

"You asked for it" the man muttered. And with that, he charged to Mikan and threw a few punches at her. Mikan dodged them with ease, and then leaned back and kicked the man in the abdomen, causing him to fly back and hit the wall.

The man grunted in pain as he slid down the wall to sit down on the ground. Mikan slowly approached the man with caution.

"You okay?" she asked him. The man stared at Mikan with his eyebrow raised.

"You seriously asking me that?" he asked her whilst pushing himself off the ground. Mikan grinned.

"Ah, cheer up, Kaito" she told him. She then smiled at him. She watched Kaito struggle to stand up for a few minutes before rolling her eyes and decided to help the poor guy up.

"Thanks" muttered Kaito. Mikan smiled.

"You know," she started off, "I always wonder why you work here. You're too nice" she told him. Kaito flashed a small smile at Mikan before slowly taking a seat on the bench Mikan lead him over to.

He remembered when he first saw Mikan walking down the hallway with two guards in front of her, a guard both sides of her, followed by Reo, who had a guard next to him. He remembered having to stare at the girl surrounded by large guys and thinking, 'who on earth is this girl? Why is she surrounded by five bulky guards and followed by Reo?'

Now, looking back at what he thought, he could only chuckle and shake his head. The girl next to him at the moment was scarily powerful. Much more powerful than what she takes credit for. Problem is, she doesn't know it herself. Mikan knows that she is powerful. She just doesn't know she's powerful enough to get rid of AAO... **_alone_**.

Mikan stared at Kaito's blank face as he continued to day dream. A few minutes later, Kaito snapped out of it and turned to Mikan, who was grinning at him.

"Welcome back, Kaito" she greeted him. Kaito rolled his eyes and stood up. He then turned around and ruffled Mikan's brunette hair. Mikan glared at Kaito.

"KAITO!" she shouted. Kaito put his hands in the air and took a step back.

"Alright, alright, no touching the hair. I understand" he told her. Mikan continued to glare at him for a moment before finally looking away and let out a small smile. Mikan then looked back at Kaito with a serious expression.

"Ne, Kaito... why did you join the AAO? I know something must have happened. It's clear that you don't like what these people are doing here" said Mikan. Kaito heaved a sigh. Mikan continued to stare at Kaito. She had stayed at the AAO for about three days. On Monday, she was alone, locked up in a room. Her room in the AAO. On Tuesday, they told her someone was going to train her and be her tutor. Mikan almost burst out laughing when they told her she was going to have a private tutor. It was hard to believe. On Wednesday, Mikan realised her tutor wasn't so bad. Yes, her tutor was Kaito. They then trained at noon. Today- Thursday- they had started training early in the morning and Mikan was determined why a guy like Kaito was in the AAO.

"Well?" she asked him. "I'm sorry to be such a pain in the ass, but it keeps bothering me" she told him. Mikan then stood up and stood in front of him. "Were you forced to join?" she asked him. Mikan's face darkened at the thought. She was relieved when Kaito shook his head.

"Then...why?" Mikan asked him. Kaito let out another sigh.

"It's all difficult. But... you do what you've got to do in order to survive. I wasn't able to get a job. There was always people better at the job than me so...yeah. This was the only place I could go to" Kaito told her. Mikan stayed silent, waiting for Kaito to continue, which he did.

"I was homeless, no job, by all means: no money, no food. So, I turned to the only option. I've been here for a couple of years. Five years, actually, and they've treated me good. They gave me a place to stay, gave me a job. Paid me. As we as hire a tutor for me- like what they've done for you and-" Kaito stopped and glanced at Mikan and added "as hard as it is to believe, it's true. The only harshest times in the AAO were during training for the first few years. Each person is different for each year. I was in training for about... two and a half years? Yeah. Two and a half. I was a quick learner" he told her. Mikan rolled her eyes and quietly, under her breath, muttered, "Show off." Kaito rolled his eyes.

"So... exactly, how old were you when you joined the AAO?" Mikan asked him.

"In my teens... hm, probably about fifteen, I guess?" he answered her. Kaito quickly glanced at Mikan, wanting to see her reaction, only to see no reaction from her. Only a simple, "Wow, so you're, what, 20 years old?" Kaito almost laughed. Mikan then continued to speak.

"Hm, not surprising, though. Anyway... so, it was because you needed money...you needed a job... you needed... a life, basically. As well as an education" Mikan stated. "I don't get it. I'm sure you would have heard of Gakuen Alice. Why didn't you try out there instead?" Mikan asked him.

"Yes, I had of Gakuen Alice. But I heard it was a school full of gifted kids. And I knew I wasn't one of them"

"But...you have an Alice..." Mikan pointed out.

"Ah, yes... my Water Alice..." murmured Kaito. "Well, I didn't know about my Alice then. And I heard that Gakuen Alice only accept people with an Alice or...in your case, Alices. The AAO gather up anyone. People with Alices and people without. Of course, once they found out about my Alice, I was sent to extra training to train how to use my Alice" he told her. Mikan nodded thoughtfully.

"I guess so..." muttered Mikan. Kaito stared at her, as if trying to read her mind. After minutes of silence, Kaito spoke.

"What are you planning, Mikan?" Mikan looked into Kaito's bright, sliver eyes, noting that they had a slight tint of blue in them.

"You know that I can't stay here long, Kaito. I need to escape from here. Problem is: now I want to take you with me" Mikan told him.

"You trust me too much for your own good" Kaito told her. Mikan simply grinned.

"Yes, I know" she admitted. "But still, I'm going to escape tomorrow. I need to be back at the academy by noon" she told him. Kaito nodded.

"Let's see what we can do. Wash yourself up, refresh, whatever it is you're going to do and come to my room when you're done. After tutor we'll discuss about your plans for tomorrow" said Kaito. Mikan smiled and nodded before taking off to her room. Kaito stayed behind and watched her retreating figure. When she disappeared around the corner, he ran his fingers through his hair and made his way to his own room.

* * *

><p>"What?" asked Natsume. Hotaru had approached his table as soon as the teacher left the classroom and told him to go to studio 8 at noon.<p>

"You heard me" said Hotaru. Natsume raised an eyebrow at her.

"Why am I to do so?" he questioned her.

"It's for tomorrow. The Ball. Since... she can't be there... And I am aware that there were performances, and you were her partner for those, you are in need of practice with the person that will take place for tomorrow. Anna will replace Mikan's place tomorrow. That is all. Make sure you come on time. Or you'll regret it. I'm sure of it. Make her happy, Hyuuga. Do it for her" said Hotaru before heading back to her own seat as their teacher made his way into the classroom.

Natsume heaved a sigh. "What the hell..." he muttered when he buried his head into his hands. The next thing he knew, he had stood up and was heading out of the classroom to go to the Sakura tree, not caring that the teacher was in the middle of saying something.

"No one will replace Mikan" muttered Natsume. "No one can replace Mikan. **Mikan Sakura**"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** So, here I am... After about... a month... I'M SORRY DD:

Like I said, I was probably going to be lazy during the term holidays, and most likely after them, too. Also, I've got tests and stuff. Though, they never really affected my computer time... It's actually because I'm turning into a bookworm again. I used to be like...full on. You would be surprised by the amount of books I would buy or borrow from the library. The thing about me is that I have, like, levels and there's some sort of switch for each personality...somehow. In this case, my bookworm-ness switch. I turned it down from 9.5/10 to 2/10. Now, it's probably 8/10 :P

OH! BTW, I have a poll, on my profile, on which story you might prefer to be written/typed first (I'm going to be doing both of them but I don't know which story first). I'll probably give a better summary after I finish this story. But for now...check it out(:

Anyway,** leave a review**(:


	23. Planning and Practicing

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

* * *

><p>Mikan came out of her room with her books in hand and quietly made her way to Kaito's room. Mikan was never one to complain about other people's living space, but the AAO was quite weird. It was always warm no matter what. For a place like the AAO, you would expect the place to have a cooler temperature. Since it was warm, Mikan wore a fitted bandeau and a black cropped sleeveless chiffon shirt and fitted denim jeans.<p>

Moments later, Mikan stood outside of Kaito's room. After checking her books one last time, Mikan knocked on the door and opened it.

"Hello? Kaito?" she asked, peering inside the room. Mikan heard a faint sound of water running inside the bathroom. Assuming that Kaito was probably taking a shower, Mikan let herself into the room and made her way to the table where they usually work. Setting down her books on the table, Mikan walked over to the wall full of books. There was a whole wall with shelves filled up with books. And as Mikan made her way closer to the shelves, she saw that majority of the books were educational. Walking towards one shelf, Mikan picked out a random book about medical stuff and flicked through it.

"Never knew Kaito would be interested in this stuff" Mikan muttered. She then heard the bathroom door open. Mikan turned around to greet Kaito, only to be greeted, herself, by a shirtless Kaito in faded blue denim jeans. Mikan raised her eyebrows from the sight before her. Kaito's head was still down, looking at the ground, drying his hair with a towel. Mikan leaned against the bookshelf, with the book still in her hand, and waited until Kaito realised she was in the room. A stupid grin appeared on Mikan's face. 'Well, I don't mind the view, anyway' she thought as she continued to watch Kaito.

* * *

><p>After Mikan left, Kaito had made his way back to his room. As soon as Kaito entered his room, he took off his shirt and headed for the shower after he grabbed some clean clothes.<p>

"Honestly, that girl needs to stop trusting people so easily. What if I was to reveal her plan to escape?" murmured Kaito before turning on the shower. Whilst washing his hair, Kaito thought about Mikan. He hadn't known her for long, but he felt as if he knew a lot about her. Heaving a sigh, Kaito turned off the shower and grabbed his towel.

"I swear, Mikan's going to be in deep shit if anyone finds out that she's trying to escape the AAO" Kaito muttered. Kaito then grabbed his jeans and put them on. He then threw the towel around his shoulders and started to dry his hair roughly, as if trying to shake out the thoughts in his mind. He then walked out of the bathroom, still drying his hair. 'What to teach Mikan today…' wondered Kaito. Kaito looked up to scan his wall full of bookshelves that were filled with books, only to curse at the sight before him.

"What the f- how the… when?" was all Kaito could utter since he was still recovering from shock. Mikan was leaning on a bookshelf, with a book medical book open in her hand, and staring at him with a smirk on her face. Kaito's gaze went from Mikan's face, to her body, noticing what she was wearing.

"Dressing to impress?" Kaito commented with a smirk. Mikan rolled her eyes as she leaned off the shelf.

"Whatever, Kaito" said Mikan. Kaito shook his head whilst chuckling.

"Although, nice shirt. Very… see through. You sure you don't want to cover up yourself a bit more?" Kaito asked with his eyebrow raised. Mikan raised an eyebrow at Kaito.

"I wouldn't be talking if I were you. How about _you_ put some clothes on?" Mikan asked him. Kaito laughed.

"Right…" he muttered. "Later" he told her. Mikan laughed quietly.

"Though, I have to hand it to the people here" said Mikan, "they have good taste in clothes. I was kind of expecting all sweatpants and dirty shirts or something."

"I told you, they took good care of me. I doubt they would do any different to you…especially since they want to use you for any future plans they have planned" Kaito told her. Mikan poked her tongue out at him. She then turned around to place the book back on the shelf.

Kaito eyed Mikan as she lifted her arm up to place the book back on the top shelf. He caught a glimpse of her bare skin. Kaito strode over to where Mikan was standing to grab the book from out of her grasp and placed it back on the shelf for her. They both stayed in the same position for a moment. Mikan on her tippy toes, arm up in the air as if trying to put the book back, and Kaito behind her with his hand on the 'already-placed-away-on-the-shelf' book. Mikan was the first to move away.

"How is it that you're able to get the book off the shelf, but you can't put it back onto the shelf?" asked Kaito. Mikan didn't bother to answer. Instead she said "Thanks". Kaito fidgeted around and gave her a quick nod before heading over to the 'tutor table'. Mikan followed suit.

"So, what am I learning?" Mikan asked Kaito as she sat down on the chair that Kaito had pulled out for her to sit on.

"I was thinking…medical stuff, since you were looking at it before" replied Kaito. He then made his way towards to a section on a bookshelf and traced his index finger along the spines of the books. He then picked out a couple of books and placed them in front of Mikan in a pile. Mikan grabbed the book on top of the pile and flicked through the pages while Kaito walked away to grab some post-it notes.

It was normal for them to operate this way. This was pretty much what would happen during the lesson:

1) Kaito chooses what Mikan should learn

2) He chooses a couple of books and sets them down in front of Mikan

3) Mikan grabs the first book on top of the pile and starts reading through it

4) Kaito goes and grabs a pen and post-it notes and then marks pages for Mikan to read through and work on

After Kaito grabbed some post-it notes, he walked over to Mikan and leaned over her to flick through the books. It wasn't too hard for him to decide on what she should read through, since he had read all the books in his room multiple times already. Minutes later, Kaito pulled away and leaned against the table beside Mikan and watched her as she worked and took notes, on the information she was picking up from the books, into her book, as well as the things she didn't understand.

An hour passed, within that hour, Kaito had either watched her work, dawdle around his room, read a book, and look through papers.

"Are you going to just watch me for the next couple of hours?" Mikan asked him. Kaito let out a soundless laugh. Mikan noted the page she was currently reading before closing the book. She then turned her body around so she was facing Kaito.

"What's wrong, Kid?" Kaito asked her. Mikan raised an eyebrow at him.

"'_Kid_'? You're only about three years older than me. I'm not much of a 'kid'" said Mikan with her eyebrow still raised. Kaito grinned.

"Yeah, yeah" he replied as he watched Mikan get up from her seat and walk over to the book shelves again. "Why did you stop working?" Kaito asked her. Mikan stopped scanning through the many books on the bookshelves and spun around to face Kaito.

"Well, it's rather difficult to work with someone watching you like a hawk" Mikan replied. Kaito chuckled.

"I won't watch you do your work then. I'll just do some other work I need to do" Kaito told her. "Go back to work" he instructed her. Mikan obeyed and made her way back to her study table without a word and opened the book she was previously reading. Kaito nodded, pleased that Mikan listened to him. He then walked over to his closet and grabbed any random shirt he found. In the corner of her eye, Mikan watched Kaito as he put on his shirt. He had taken out a white dress shirt and was currently buttoning up his shirt… while his body was facing her. She then saw him rolling up the sleeves of his shirt up to his elbow.

"Alright, I'll be back soon" he told her and headed out the door after ruffling Mikan's hair. Mikan rolled her eyes and smoothed her hair out before going back to work.

"Pfft. '_Soon_', he's _so_ going to take more than two hours" spoke Mikan to no one in particular with a grin on her face, as if proud that she knew Kaito so well.

* * *

><p>"Studio 8, studio 8, studio 8, studio 8, studio…8! AH <em>HAH,<em> gotcha!" Anna exclaimed before opening the door and rushing in. She had reached studio 8 about five minutes before noon. Anna sat down and quickly stuffed her mouth with lunch that she had made early in the morning. Five minutes later, she heard the door knob turn, and then the door swung open, revealing Hotaru with a big bag. Anna walked over to Hotaru and greeted her.

"Ah, hello Hota-"

"We have no time. Come on, hurry up" Hotaru cut her off. She then opened her bag and took out a folder and handed it to Anna.

"Read through that, try to remember as much as possible up until…" Hotaru then pointed to a line on the page "here" she told Anna. Anna sweat dropped.

"Alright then" Anna obeyed. She then walked over to the opposite side of the room and sat down on the ground just as Hana and Daichi walked into the studio. Anna looked up.

"Ah, you're the new students in my class" she realised as she quickly stood up and jogged over to them. "Hello, I'm Anna Umenomiya. Nice to meet you" she greeted them.

"Hi. I'm Hana Arakaki and this is Daichi Nishimura" replied Hana as Hotaru made her way over to them.

"Go and get ready. I bet he'll come any minute" she told them. Hana and Daichi nodded and silently made their way to the change room and each went into their separate cubical. Hotaru then turned to Anna and threw a bag at her.

"Hurry up and change" ordered Hotaru before walking away towards a music player and connected her IPod to it. Anna did as she was told and quickly made her way to the change room to her change clothes.

When she came out, she saw Hana and Daichi talking to Natsume, who was leaning against the large mirror that was stuck on the wall.

"Eh? Why is Natsume here?" Anna asked Hotaru. Hotaru didn't reply. Instead, she walked over to the trio and told them to get ready. Anna heard Natsume heave a sigh before pushing off the mirror.

"Wait, what?" asked Anna, hoping for a reply this time. This time, Hotaru replied.

"You, Anna, are going to perform a dance. Hana and Daichi have offered to help out. So, get into position next to Hana, across from Natsume" ordered Hotaru. Anna quickly made her way to where Hotaru instructed her to go, with a confused expression on her face.

"Alright, from the top" announced Hotaru. "Anna, just go with the flow"

"Wait, what?" Anna asked again. Every minute she spent in this studio, the more she wanted out.

Hotaru counted down from five and then played the music. Anna kept an eye on Hana to try and figure out the dance routine, only it wasn't much of a success. Anna was always at least two steps behind. About thirty seconds in, Hotaru stopped the music and had Daichi help Anna with the dance moves while Hana and Natsume start another dance.

"Whoa, wait, hold on here. How many dances are there going to be on the night?" questioned Anna.

"Well, two dances are planned for tomorrow" answered Hana. Anna let out a small 'oh' before turning back to Daichi and to learn the dance moves.

Meanwhile, Hana and Natsume were trying to kill each other throughout their dance. They were told what type of dance they were to work on, and at the moment they were more 'trying to kill' than 'trying to rehearse'. Hotaru, watching them, got annoyed and shot Baka bullets their way, hitting Natsume and barely missing Hana's head. Hana and Natsume glared at Hotaru, who merrily replied in a bored manner, "Hurry up. We can't let the students down. We want a god performance. And if we don't give 100% effort in this…" Hotaru then made her way to her big bag and opened it before continuing. "I will call it all off" continued Hotaru. In the corner of his eye, Natsume saw Hana and Daichi's body tense up.

"It's your call, of course" Hotaru added. And with that, she headed out the door after announcing that she would return after an hour to see their progress.

After Hotaru left, Hana got down to business. "Come on, let's start rehearsing" said Hana. Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"Why so determined all of a sudden?" he questioned her. "What was she threatening us with?"

Hana didn't answer. Instead, she grabbed the remote for the music player and played the music. Natsume's eyes narrowed, though he pushed the question aside for the time being.

* * *

><p>Mikan was currently wandering around Kaito's room. Indeed, Kaito had taken more than two hours. He had left around 10:30 in the morning and right now it was about 12:41, according to Kaito's clock. Mikan placed back the book she had taken from the book shelf just as Kaito walked through the door.<p>

"Welcome back, Kaito" she greeted him as she got out another book. Kaito replied with a nod.

"So, you done?" asked Kaito, referring to the work he had given her. Mikan nodded with a huge smile.

"You gave me enough time" she replied with a grin. Kaito gave her a half smile.

"Yeah, sorry. Had a lot of work to do" he told her.

"Nah, it's all good" said Mikan as she turned around to reach up for another book from the bookshelf. "So," she started off, "I had a while to think about how to escape. I plan to escape at about 4am" she told him.

"What…?" muttered Kaito.

"What is it, Kaito?" Mikan asked him. Before Kaito could answer, she continued.

"By the way, Kaito, I was hoping for you to come with me, back to the academy." Kaito's eyes widened.

"What…?" he asked her. "What are you going on about? Are you crazy? How could I go with you?" he exclaimed, taking a couple of steps towards Mikan. Mikan also took a couple of steps towards Kaito.

"You heard me, Kaito" replied Mikan with a serious expression. "You just…just- I can't just- you-you- I…" she stammered. Mikan closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

"You should come to the academy with me, Kaito. It's a better place than what you _probably_ know it as" she told him. "I'm going to leave tonight- well, tomorrow morning, but whatever- and I want you to come along" she added. She then told him a whole lot of stuff that she was planning to do, where she was going to escape from, and other information.

Kaito shook his head and ran his fingers through his hair. "Honestly, woman, you trust me too much for your own good" he muttered.

"What do you mean…?" Mikan asked him, taking a step forward.

Everything suddenly happened in a blur. One moment she was taking a step forwards towards Kaito, the next she has her wrist within Kaito's grasp and held over her head, against the bookshelf, their faces close, barely two inches away from each other.

"Stop it" he muttered.

"Stop _what_?" questioned Mikan.

"Stop trusting me so much. I could do anything to you. Do you know what I can do? Hm? Do you? Telling me all this…all this stuff about you escaping from the AAO…it's just… You of all people to be so…" Kaito stopped. Kaito then leaned his face in closer to Mikan's face and whispered, "You…just… keep your guard up around me. Don't tell me so much. You can't trust me." Mikan leaned her face closer to Kaito's so their foreheads would touch.

"I already have, Kaito. I trust you enough to help me through this. I need to get out of here. Unlike you, I don't belong here. Actually, neither do you. You just fit in better than me" she murmured, her eyes half closed. Kaito half smiled.

"Honestly, what am I to do with you?" he mumbled. And with that, he leaned in and kissed Mikan on the lips. Mikan stayed still and unable to move though her mouth seemed to be able to move. Her mind suddenly switched back on and she thought of one thing.

'Natsume.' His name appeared out of nowhere in Mikan's mind. Out of nowhere, she thought of Natsume. And without thinking, she started to pull away from Kaito. They stayed in the same position until Mikan muttered that she was going to leave and grab something to eat, since she hadn't eaten lunch yet. Kaito didn't say anything. Instead, he stepped back and stared at the floor until he heard the door close. As soon as the door closed, Kaito kicked the bookshelf. Piles of books were on the ground, though Kaito didn't care. He walked over to his telephone by his bedside and punched in a number and as soon as the person on the other line picked up, he spoke.

"Hey, Reo? Yeah, it's me, Kaito. She's planning on escaping. Yeah. Mikan Sakura"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Well… I don't know about you, but if I wasn't the person writing this chapter, I would probably be screaming my ass off right now.

So, how was it? Be sure to tell me (:

Leave a review (:


	24. Escape: Start & Mikan's letter

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

* * *

><p>"Okay, from the top!" instructed Hotaru. For the last few hours, Anna, Hana, Daichi and Natsume have rehearsed their dances, and Anna had practised her lines.<p>

"What? Can't we even have a break?" exclaimed Anna, spinning around to face Hotaru

"No, you can't" Hotaru replied nonchalantly. Anna pouted, turned around and got into position.

"Alright, 5, 6, 7, 8" counted Hotaru as she made her way in front of the mirror before pressing play on the remote.

As the music played, Anna saw Natsume close his eyes and take a deep breath.

'What's wrong with him?' Anna wondered.

"Anna, focus, you're about to miss your cue" said Hotaru. Anna mumbled an apology and focused on dancing.

"Ne, Natsume?" whispered Anna as they danced.

"Hn" replied Natsume.

"If you don't mind my ask-" Anna stopped talking as she danced around Hana. When she was dancing next to Natsume, she spoke again.

"My asking… why is it that your expressions while you dance this dance, it seems as if you're… in pain or some sort?" she asked him. Natsume didn't reply until he was sure that Hana and Daichi would not hear his reply.

"This dance means something to me. It means a lot" he murmured low enough so only Anna could hear. Anna couldn't help but smile. It wasn't every day that Natsume would reply to such a question.

"I see… Indeed, it must mean a lot to you for you to admit it" she whispered.

"Hn" replied Natsume. They then danced the rest of the dance in silence. When they finished, they all turned to face Hotaru who was walking over to her big bag and take out an envelope.

"Alright, make sure that you remember and, what I would recommend, practice the dance again, maybe before the actual performance. I want a flawless performance" said Hotaru. Anna and Hana replied with a simple 'yes' while Daichi and Natsume grunted in reply.

"We're done for today" announced Hotaru. Anna went to the change rooms to change her clothes, while Daichi and Hana decided to leave wearing their current rehearsal clothes. Hana turned around to look at Hotaru, who merrily nodded in response to whatever mute message Hana was sending her.

Hotaru then turned around and made her way to Natsume, who was seated on the floor, leaning against the large mirror.

Natsume didn't bother to look up when he saw Hotaru's feet in front of him. Instead, they both stayed quiet, not bothering to talk. Hotaru put out her hand in front of Natsume's face. In her hand was the envelope that she had taken out of her bag a moment ago. This time, Natsume looked up.

"What's this for? Payment for listening to you and doing as you tell me to?" asked Natsume sarcastically, rolling his eyes. Hotaru rolled her eyes

"Oh, please. Don't be so full of yourself. I would never give you my money, the school's...I would probably give you" retorted Hotaru. Natsume scoffed.

"Right, I would expect you to keep the money yourself-" he said. Hotaru's eyes narrowed.

"I may like money, but I am no thief" she interjected. "Now, are you going to take the envelope, or not?" she asked him, leaning over to her left leg. Natsume sighed.

"Yeah, whatever" he muttered as he leaned off the wall-mirror grabbed the envelope from Hotaru's grasp. And with that, Hotaru turned around and walked away to grab her bag before heading out the door. Though before leaving, she made sure that Anna would practice her line for tomorrow evening.

"Alright, Hotaru" Anna called out as she came out of the changing cubical. As Anna passed Natsume, who was staring at the letter, she bid him goodbye, though he didn't bother to respond. Anna smiled and left the studio, leaving the boy alone. Natsume slumped against the wall-mirror and stared at the envelope.

Silence filled the studio. The only sounds came from outside where the students were leaving the classroom, since classes have finished for the day, though for Natsume, only one thing was filled in Natsume's mind- The envelope in his hand. Natsume's back shot off the wall, which then had him seated up straight, as if he had been electrocuted.

Natsume P.O.V

What the hell is this? Is this some kind of sick joke? Because if it is, Imai isn't going to see tomorrow's daylight, I can guarantee that.

The envelope in my hand was addressed to me, though I didn't care about that. All I cared about was who the letter came from. It was Mikan. Mikan… _Mikan_. For _fuck's_ sake, it was from _MIKAN_. How much does this world want to screw with my head?

Heaving a frustrated sigh, I ripped open the envelope, revealing two neatly folding papers filled with Mikan's rugged, yet somewhat neat, writing all over it. The letter was as follows:

_Dear Natsume,_

_How have you been? I'm… somewhere, up and kicking. I realised that something wasn't right with the mission that was given to us by Persona, so I gave this letter to Hotaru, to give it to you when she thought it would be right time._

_Honestly, I don't know where to start. There's so much to tell. I don't know where to start… Well, as you would have known, I'm, well, an assassin. And I'm not so proud of that, I must add, but I was aware that there are many fucked up bastards around the area and they need to be gone, so they won't hurt anyone. Ever. My grudge again fucked up bastards? They killed my parents._

Wait, didn't Mikan tell me that her parents owned a company…? Wouldn't that mean that they should be alive? I frowned. I guess this letter's going to be about all the secrets she has. Heaving a sigh, I start reading the letter again.

_Well, right now you're probably thinking 'what? I thought her parents were alive. Don't they own a company?' well, no. Well, they do, well, used to… until they were murdered of course._

_My family insisted of me, my mother and my father. Persona is my brother. Not blood related, but I consider him as my brother. He's been there to catch me when I fall for…well, ever since infant years._

_So, what else is there about my background? Ah, yes, what I told you about my relationship with Watanabe was real, as well as how much I dislike him. The reason I dislike him is still money/fortune-related._

_It was probably a Saturday evening, I guess. And we were seated outside a café, talking about…something, I'm not sure. Suddenly, I don't know why, (it had something to do with our conversation) but I told him about the money my parents left behind for me. Seems like since then he's been aiming for it ever since._

_Well, that's the end of that. Now, going on about the __**actual **_me_…_

_My Alices, yes, I guess that's a starter. I have, as you know, Nullification. I have two Alices. My second Alice is S.E.C- Steal, erase, copy. You've probably heard of it. The name says it all. What I could to an Alice. Then with the help of my S.E.C Alice, I copied many Alices, like ice, mind reading, teleport… and fire. Yes, I have the Fire Alice, though I rarely use it, since it never seems to agree with whatever I want it to do…_

I raised an amused eyebrow at the letter. I could just imagine the annoyed and irritated look on Mikan's face as she wrote that last sentence.

_Persona helped me master my Alices over the many years that I didn't go to school. Of course, it was quite hard since Persona doesn't exactly have many of the Alices that I have. He could only teach from what he had picked up over the years at the academy, watching, observing…acting scary as he usually does. Persona's only Alice is Death, as you know, though I had given him mind reading and teleporting Alice, and now I obviously regret it, but, whatever._

I felt like face-palming myself. Darn it. So Persona would have been reading my mind the entire time? That f-… No… I will not let the creepy guy get to me. No, I will not. Taking a deep breath in, I continued to read the letter.

_Anyway, about me being as…assassin and all, I started when I was about…12 or 13, maybe? So it's been 4 or 5 years, maybe? Just about 5 years. I've killed-I don't know- lots of people probably, 50 at least to 65 most? It's horrible, I know._

_And now I wonder what you're thinking. Actually, I _always_ wonder 'what's he thinking at the moment? Does he hate me? Do I irritate him? Do I annoy him? __Do you feel disgusted by me?'_

_Honestly, many questions run through my mind each day… wondering what you are thinking. Although I can use my mind reading Alice and simply read your mind, I guess it's more fun to guess._

_But…I guess the most coming question I ask myself would be… 'Who am I to you?' because one thing for sure… I consider you more than just a mere classmate and assigned partner._

_Well, I don't really know what to go on about… I guess I'll see you soon?_

_Well, until the next time we see each other,_

_Much love,_

_Mikan Sakura._

I stared the letter in my hand, reading the last few paragraphs again. '_I consider you more than just a mere classmate and assigned partner_' she had written. I could feel a smile threatening to stretch across my face, though I controlled it. I slumped my back against the wall once again and tilted my head back and leaned it against the wall-mirror and closed my eyes to wait until my mind would process everything I just read.

End Natsume P.O.V

Natsume lay down on the floor and stayed in the studio until it started getting dark outside before finally getting up and exiting the studio to head to The Sakura tree.

'I think today could be one of the best times I've had in a while' thought Natsume, smirking as he made his quietly to his destination.

* * *

><p><em>Knock, knock, knock<em>

Mikan turned around to face the door. Mikan's body tensed up and she eyed the door before letting the person in. Mikan's body went to ease when she saw Kaito in front of her. Smiling, she opened the door wider to let Kaito enter.

"Hey, Kaito" Mikan greeted him. Kaito nodded and gave Mikan a half smile in return.

They talked aimlessly for half an hour or so until Kaito closed his eyes and then reopened then and looked at Mikan with a serious expression.

"Are you sure about tonight?" Kaito asked her, referring to her plan to escape the AAO. Mikan smiled.

"Yes, I am sure of it. I need to go back. Are sure about your decision?" Mikan asked him.

"Yes I am" answered Kaito. Mikan nodded and slowly turned away and walked over to the window and leaned her forehead against it.

"Alright, then I hope it all turn out well" said Mikan, turning around to face Kaito and leaned against the wall.

"As do I" said Kaito. The room was then silent. No one said a word. They didn't even talk about the kiss that happened earlier on in the day.

"So you're still planning the same route?" asked Kaito. Mikan nodded and headed over to the kitchen that was included in the room. Basically, the room that was given to her was like an apartment. A very nice one.

"Well then, I guess I'll get going" announced Kaito. Mikan walked with him to the door. When Mikan opened the door, Kaito grabbed the doorknob, removing Mikan's hands first, and stepped outside to close the door behind him. Half way on closing the door, Kaito stopped and opened the door wide. "I'll see you… when I do" he said. He then leaned over and kissed Mikan on the forehead.

"Yeah…" was all Mikan could utter. Kaito nodded and closed the door. When Kaito left, Mikan continued to stay in the same spot. Finally, she snapped out of it and walked over to bed and let herself fall onto the bed. She then buried her face into her pillow and screamed.

As soon as Mikan finished screaming, she sat up on the edge of the bed and used her hands to cover her face. She then ran her fingers through her hair and looked around her apartment-like room.

"Gosh, what am I doing? This isn't me" Mikan murmured. She felt as if she needed to get a tattoo saying 'FOREVER NATSUME HYUUGA' all over her body. Mikan chuckled at the thought. Then at the mentioning of tattoos, Mikan shot up from her bed and ran in front of a mirror and lifted up her shirt, and checked the bottom left side of her abdomen.

'My Sakura flower…' thought Mikan. Her Sakura flower tattoo had faded. And that wasn't right. From what she knew, the tattoos she got were permanent. No wonder she thought something was different about her when she was changing her clothes. Still in deep thought, Mikan slowly pulled her shirt down. Mikan then pushed the thought aside and went over to her study table and looked over her escape plan for tonight. When she was done, she stood up and headed over to the window and looked outside.

"Let's just hope all goes as planned" muttered Mikan before heading back to her bed, deciding to take a quick nap before her great escape starts. Mikan muttered five words before she was pulled into the darkness.

"_I'll see you soon, Natsume"_

* * *

><p>"What do you mean by that?" exclaimed Kaito. Reo leaned back on his chair and turned it around 180 degrees.<p>

"If she's planning to escape, we'll let her escape, but not before we give her a goodbye present" said Reo. Kaito frowned.

"Yes, I understand_ that_ bit. I just don't understand why we should _bother_" said Kaito.

"My, my, my, Kaito, what could you _possibly_ mean by _that_?" asked Reo, turning his chair around to face Kaito again. Kaito leaned back on his chair as Reo leaned forward from his to put his elbows on the table. Kaito got up from his seat and started to walk around the room.

"I actually don't know" replied Kaito honestly. Reo nodded, as if understanding what Kaito meant. He then got up and walked over to Kaito and patted him on the back.

"All will be fine, my friend" said Reo. He then chuckled. Kaito turned around to face Reo.

"What's so funny?" asked Kaito.

"Not much" replied Reo. "It's quite interesting how all these years we've known each other, you've grown onto me so much that I consider you like my brother" said Reo. Kaito chuckled along with Reo.

"I guess so" said Kaito.

"How about you join me for dinner?" offered Reo.

"Glad to" replied Kaito, and followed Reo out the door, closing it behind him.

"Dig in" said Reo when the food arrived, after they thanked the person who made the food.

"Thanks" replied Kaito.

Reo and Kaito ate and talked throughout the night. They continued to talk after they had finished dinner, catching up on a few things. They continued to talk into the night, unaware the time passing by. When Reo finally checked the time, he declared the need to get ready. Kaito immediately caught on.

"It's almost time..." stated Kaito more than asked, but Reo answered anyway.

"Yes, it is" replied Reo before standing up and walking over to a telephone and punched in a couple of numbers.

"Get them ready as quick as you can. Make sure they're all in position in half an hour, there and ready" Reo ordered to someone over the phone. Kaito could vaguely hear the person on the other line reply with a "_Yes, Sir. Right away_" before shouting away from the phone about "_people_", "_needed now_", "_positions_" and "_half hour_".

When Reo was off the phone, he turned around to Kaito. "Well, it's time. Are you going to join?" asked Reo as he made his way to the door. Kaito immediately stood up and followed Reo to the door.

"Yes, of course" answered Kaito. Reo grinned.

"Glad to hear" said Reo before telling the person by the door to open it. As soon as the door opened, Reo grabbed a gun from the person by the door and put it away somewhere on his body in which Kaito wasn't able to see. Reo then turned around and tossed a gun towards Kaito's direction, who caught it with ease. Kaito stared at Reo, confused. Reo smirked.

"You might end up needing that. Who knows, we might join the fun" supposed Reo. Kaito let out a half-hearted laugh.

"Yeah, right" responded Kaito.

"Well, let's get going. Don't want to be late, do we?" asked Reo. Though, he didn't bother to wait for an answer and headed off to their hide out- where they would be waiting for Mikan.

* * *

><p>Mikan had woken up about an hour ago, around 3am, and was getting ready for her escape. Mikan was running around her room, searching for the weapons that she had teleported away from Natsume, Daichi and Hana before she teleported them back to the academy. Mikan grinned when she finally found them. She grabbed two guns, that belonged to Natsume and Daichi, and placed them into two separate leather bands on each thigh, in which she made for tonight, with her Alice. She then grabbed the daggers, which belonged to Hana, and placed them into a specially made pocket in her boots, hiding them. Finally, Mikan grabbed her metal rod and pressed a button on it. In a flash, it was about as tall as she was. Mikan couldn't help but grin.<p>

'I can't wait till the blade comes out, turning it into a scythe-like form' thought Mikan. She then pressed another button on the rod and it went back to its original 20cm form and turned around to check the time. 'It's almost 4am already. Wow' thought Mikan. 'Better get going' she told herself.

Mikan exited the room, closing the door, and soundlessly made her way through the empty hallways of the AAO, holding onto her rod tightly.

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hello! So, how y'all been? (:

Yeah…I'm taking too long to update. And I apologise. I've been having a difficult time figuring out what would happen next. But no worries, I now have the rest of the story planned and I am typing them down already (:

So I'll try to update quicker. Two weeks at most ;p

Well, till next time~

Don't forget to REVIEWWW~


	25. Escape: Consequences of escape

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

* * *

><p>Mikan made her way through the silent hallways with caution. She noted the unusual silence and kept her guard up. Mikan continued making her way out of the AAO doors with extra caution, past the three giant guards near the entrance of the AAO. Mikan almost choked on her own spit when she realised that they were the guards that were watching her and Natsume kiss each other senseless during the mission- or so they thought that it was a mission. She then had to hold in her laughter when she heard them bitching about their boss- Reo Mouri.<p>

'Hah, the sucker. The people that work for him even hate him' Mikan thought, smirking. Then without wasting any more time, Mikan headed out the door to make her way around the AAO.

Just as Mikan was going around the corner, she bumped into something hard. Mikan cursed under her breath and placed her hand over her head where she had hit…whatever it was. Mikan then looked up and cursed aloud. Three guards were in front of her, smirking like the douche bags they were.

"You didn't really think that we didn't see you, did you?" said the bloke that she had bumped into. Mikan held back the urge to roll her eyes.

"Actually, I kind of did. You have the brain now bigger than my finger nail" Mikan replied calmly, holding up her hand to show the three guards her nails. All three guards growled.

"You watch it, Kid, or you'll regret it" threatened another guard. Now, Mikan rolled her eyes.

"Oh, please. At least I don't stand around bitching about my boss" said Mikan with an evil glint in her eyes. The guards stared at her in confusion. Mikan smirked and took out a recorder that she had carried with her and played it, letting the three guards hear what they were talking about earlier on about their boss. Now, the three guards lunged towards Mikan.

* * *

><p>Natsume stirred in his bed. He was unable to sleep for some reason. He felt as if something wasn't right. That something was going to happen. Natsume groaned and pulled the blanket over his head, as if trying to hide himself, hoping that he would soon go to sleep. Natsume stayed under the blanket for about 10 minutes before ripping the blanket off him and got out of bed and walked out onto his balcony.<p>

Natsume lay down on his porch swing on the balcony, keeping on foot on the ground and the other on the swing, and heaved a sigh. He used his left leg to swing the swing as he stared at the sky.

Natsume then found himself slowly drifting to sleep. For once in a long time, Natsume was glad of something happening.

Natsume let himself fall asleep, not minding the fact that he will end up waking up to a sore back when he wakes up the next morning.

* * *

><p>"Urgh, <em>damn it<em>" groaned a guard.

Mikan smirked at the three big-ass guards lying on the ground in front of her.

"Had enough?" she asked them. They all glared at her, and leaned up onto the elbows, though groaned in pain and gave up, lying back on the ground.

"Well, I'll take that as a yes then" said Mikan, as if trying to rub it in. She then turned around and left, to continue going around the AAO until she found the way out.

Mikan continued to make her way around the AAO for a while, until she suddenly sensed some people nearby, actually, a LOT of people nearby. Mikan turned towards the direction and raised an eyebrow.

"Come out. I know you're there" Mikan called them out. She then heard someone clap.

"Well done, Sakura" Reo applauded her. Mikan kept her place and continued to stare at Reo as he came out, along with his army of people- including Kaito.

"Hello, People" Mikan greeted them in an ill manner, eyeing them, reading everyone as they all appeared from their hiding places. Most of them were probably professionals and have worked for Reo for a long time. There were probably around a hundred of them.

"I appreciate the good bye party" spoke Mikan sarcastically. Reo smirked.

"I'm glad you like it" he replied. His expression then became serious. "Get her" he told some of his men.

"Crap" Mikan muttered. Twenty men charged towards her. Mikan whipped her rod in front of her and whacked the men away like flies that were pissing her off. She then kneed one in the stomach and elbowed him in the back after whispering a 'goodnight' in his ear.

Mikan then made her way to two men and used both of their heads to knock each other out.

'That's three down, seventeen to go' thought Mikan.

This time, Mikan used her Ice Alice to freeze some of the men in place while she trapped some other men in a barrier she created with her Wind Alice, sucking out all the air in it and waited for the men to faint due to lack of air. She then made her way back to the men that she trapped into place with her Ice Alice and knocked them out. It was easily done, since their arms and legs were frozen. When she finished, she turned towards Reo.

"So, next group?" she asked him challengingly. Reo smirked and ordered the next group. Mikan smirked along with him.

As the next group of twenty charged towards her, Mikan made a conversation with Reo.

"So, what exactly do you plan on doing? Kill me? Or injure me to leave a scar so I remember this forever so I can hate you even more?" asked Mikan as she knocked a guy out. She heard Reo chuckle.

"And injure that_ lovely_ skin of yours?" joked Reo. Mikan growled.

"Watch it, Bub" she warned him. Reo laughed.

"Uh-huh" he muttered. "Well, if you want a good bye present, I have no probable reason _not_ to give you one" he continued. Mikan slammed two men against a tree and knocked their heads against the tree trunk.

"You sure about that?" she asked Reo. "How about, that fact that I will probably come after you and kill you?" she asked him casually.

"Well then, I guess I'll face whatever I will in the future" replied Reo. Mikan sneered.

"Right…right" muttered Mikan as she elbowed the last guy down onto the ground. As soon as the guy was out, Reo ordered his next group out. Mikan finished the group of twenty men in a flash, and Reo ordered the next group out. Mikan easily knocked them all out.

Then, Reo ordered his last group out. But like it's usually done, Reo saved the best group of men last. Mikan had a bit more difficulty with the last twenty men. She was able to know out five men, but the other fifteen didn't seem to like to stay still.

"These guys don't like to stay still, do they" Mikan commented. Reo smirked,

"Oh, you haven't seen much yet, Sakura" Reo responded. 'Ah, come on, get the weapon working!' thought Reo, eyeing the rod Mikan had been using for a while. The rod had only been in its rod-like state and about as tall as Mikan's height.

Just as one of Reo's men whipped out a gun and shot her, the rod turned into its scythe-like form, and the blade shielded her from the bullet that was about to hit her. Mikan whirled around and glared at the person who had shot her. Mikan then whipped out a dagger from her shoe and threw it at the person.

'Bullseye' thought Mikan. 'Literally'

Mikan turned away from the horrifying sight of what she had created a moment ago and continued to fight off the rest of the men. She had knocked out most of the men and there were three men left. Mikan was busy fighting two of the guards that she forgot about the third guard.

Reo watched as one of his men whipped out his gun and pointed it at Mikan. Reo smirked.

'Game over' he thought when his guard pulled the trigger. Though, what Reo didn't see was when Mikan sensed the gun behind her and dodged.

Mikan growled when she saw that she had been shot and used her left hand to put pressure onto her right arm, where it had been shot. Mikan checked where the bullet was shot. Judging from the angle, if she hadn't dodged in time, she would have died right then and there. Though, any bullet wound can kill you, all that is needed is the time. And Mikan knew this, so she started to worry. It wouldn't be wise of her to started healing the wound at the moment, since she was already worn out, and if she started healing herself, she would just collapse.

Mikan heard someone clap slowly. Mikan turned to look at Reo, who was looking at her, impressed.

"I am impressed" Reo admitted. He then held out a hand, and one of his guards handed him a sword. "Now it is time to fight me" announced Reo. Mikan grinned as she bent down to pick up her metal rod, which she had dropped when she was dodging the bullet.

"Lovely" said Mikan, "You have no idea how long I've waited for this" she told him, her eyes now empty of emotion. Reo smirked.

"As have I" answered Reo. Mikan and Reo then charged towards each other, both holding their weapons in front of them. They both blocked each other's attacks. They continued for what seemed like forever. Kaito stood on the sidelines, watching as the two attacked each other. In the corner of his eye, Kaito saw three guards appear.

Mikan also saw them, and got distracted, turning around. Reo saw this and used it as an opportunity to attack. He held up his sword and attacked Mikan. Mikan wasn't able to dodge, which then caused her to be attacked with the sword. Mikan used her scythe to keep her standing and groaned in pain. Her back was now injured and with every move that she made, it was painful.

"You're good" remarked Mikan. "That was a good one. Good cut" she said, slowly standing up straight, taking deep breathes, trying to hold in the pain. Reo held up his sword and walked around Mikan, circling her.

"Why thank you, I always thought I was good" he said arrogantly. Mikan hissed at the pain in her back.

"Like I said before, Reo- I will come after you and kill you" Mikan spoke in a calm voice.

"I look forward to it" remarked Reo, charging towards her again. Mikan flipped out of the way and tried to injure Reo with her scythe, though Reo barely dodged it.

'Damn, nowhere near' thought Mikan. 'I was only able to rip his shirt' She then tried to attack him again- Failed. Mikan was now frustrated and it wasn't good for her injuries.

Kaito watched Mikan exhaust herself more by the second. She was also starting to lose colour from the amount of blood loss she was getting from her injuries. He then stepped in.

"Reo, stop it. That's enough. You've had enough play" said Kaito, stepping forwards. Reo stopped and examined his blood covered sword.

"I guess so" Reo agreed. In the corner of his eye, Reo saw Mikan panting. He then slashed his sword across her abdomen.

A bloodcurdling scream was heard. Kaito winced at the noise.

"I said it was enough, Reo" he said, his tone evident of annoyance, though Reo ignored it.

"Alright, alright, I'll stop" said Reo like a little child that was now annoyed that his mum kept nagging him. Their attention was now turned towards Mikan, who had fallen onto her knees and holding her abdomen

"I could have gone for the neck, but you would have lost consciousness and died within moment if I had done so. We wouldn't have wanted that, would we? It would have been much too soon of a good bye. I must say, it's a good cut. I also avoided the female artery" Reo spoke to her, watching as Mikan tried her best to stay sitting up, instead of dropping onto the ground like a lifeless doll.

Mikan P.O.V

Blood. Blood. I have seen it many times, but this time, it was different. It was my blood. _Lots_ of my blood. My body started to feel numb. I placed my hand over my abdomen and put pressure on it. I held out my other hand, facing the ground, trying to catch myself as I suddenly found standing up a problem, and fell onto my knees. I wasn't able to feel any pain anymore, which was odd. My body was numb, but I was able to stay sitting up somehow. I looked up and glared at Reo after he told me some irrelevant information that I didn't want to hear about.

"What was that for, you idiot" I spat towards his direction. I saw Reo examine his sword, stained with my blood. I gripped onto my metal rod tightly, enduring the pain that was slowly occurring and worsening by the second.

"I just thought it would be nice to give you an extra good bye present" responded Reo, smirking. I glared at him. The little son of a-

I then saw Reo lean closer to Kaito and whisper something in his ear. I saw Kaito's expression slowly turning into a frown. Kaito turned to face Reo and said something. I saw Reo grin and pat Kaito on the back as he turned around to say something to one of his guards. Seconds later, a guard appeared with something and handed it to Reo. Reo took it and handed it to Kaito. My vision had become blurry, and it was getting difficult to see. I squinted my eyes to see better, but there wasn't much of a difference. I saw Kaito's figure approach me slowly. When he was close enough, I was able to figure out what he was holding in his hand- A gun.

I watched as Kaito held up his hand and pointed the gun at me.

End Mikan P.O.V

Kaito held Mikan at gun point and watched as Mikan closed her eyes, prepared to meet her death. From afar, Reo watched, satisfied that his- who he considered- his brother, doing as he was telling him to. For a second, he thought Kaito was going to turn on him.

"Come on, Kaito, boy" Reo muttered into the tip of his fingers. "Pull the trigger, boy"

Kaito stared at Mikan's peaceful face. Even at a time like this, she still doesn't hate him.

Kaito turned his head around to look at Reo, who gave him an encouraging nod. Kaito turned around to face Mikan's calm face again. Kaito started to count backwards from ten.

"Forgive me for this" Kaito whispered to Mikan, hoping that Mikan would be able to hear him. He saw Mikan smile a little bit. Kaito couldn't help but smile himself.

'5...4...3...2...1..."

* * *

><p>Natsume shot up from up from his porch swing. For some reason, he had woken up, feeling that something wasn't right. And that something was going to happen. Natsume started to shake his arms about, loosening them up. He also tried to shake away his thoughts.<p>

'Damn it, what's wrong with me?' Natsume wondered to himself. Natsume went back into his room and checked the time. It was almost five in the morning. Natsume stretched for a couple of minutes before deciding that there was no use going back to sleep. So he decided to go for a run.

Natsume walked over to his closet and changed into his black tracksuit pants and a plain grey shirt. After Natsume put on his joggers, he grabbed his iPod, headed out the door, put his earphones in his ears, turned up the volume and then he was off. Running at full speed, Natsume pushed out all thoughts in his mind and focused on running and the music in the background.

* * *

><p>Reo was both shocked and amused by what he saw before him. And without a doubt, he was also pissed off.<p>

"What is the meaning of this?" growled Reo. Reo glared hard at Kaito, who had the point of the gun, facing Reo. Kaito was about to answer when Reo held up a hand, silencing him.

"You know what, never mind" said Reo. He then whipped out two guns and pointed it at Kaito and Mikan. At the same time, Mikan had gone for her gun and was now pointing it at Reo.

"I dare you to pull the trigger" she told him. "And I'll pull mine as well and kill you if I can"

"You think too high of yourself. What makes you think you could kill me?" Reo sneered. He then lowered his guns, confusing Mikan and Kaito.

"Lower your guns, kids. There is no need for them" said Reo, turning his back to them as he handed one gun to one of his guards. Reo took a seat and crossed his legs and stared as Kaito bent down and examined Mikan's injuries.

"You know, as sneaky as you thought you could be, you actually weren't" said Reo. Kaito turned to look Reo.

"What?" he asked. Reo smirked.

"I know what you were planning. You were going to go with her anyway, weren't you, Kaito?" asked Reo confidently. Kaito forced himself to continue looking Reo in the eye. Reo continued. "Honestly, it was given away the second it was said that she wasn't going to _teleport_ away as her escape plan. Why would she bother wasting her energy running around here other than to collect a few extra things?"

Mikan inwardly cursed. She knew that Reo Mouri was known to be somewhat smart, but she never thought he would have _that_ much intellect. How could she have been so stupid? One of the first things Persona had taught her was to not underestimate her opponent. He would _so_ kill her, himself, is he ever found out what she got herself into because of not following his instructions.

"So you got me there" admitted Mikan. "So what do you plan on doing?" she asked him. Kaito's eyes widened.

"Are you crazy? Don't give him ideas!" Kaito hissed towards her direction. Mikan turned towards Kaito's figure.

"Don't worry" Mikan told him. She turned to face Reo's blurry figure. "He already had something planned. But it's our decision as to who does it" continued Mikan.

"Well then, I'll do it. Whatever it is" said Kaito. Mikan shook her head.

"No way. I've already decided. I'm doing it. Not you" Mikan told him. Kaito shook his head and faced Reo.

"What is it?" Kaito asked him. Reo's smirk widened. He then turned to three of the guards, that Mikan fought at the beginning of her escape, and said something to them.

Kaito's eyes widened. "There is no way that I'm letting you do that" Kaito told her firmly.

"You can't tell me what I can do and what I can't" hissed Mikan. Kaito glared at her.

"Well, from your condition at the moment, I beg to differ" said Kaito. "I'll do it"

"Kaito, you can't take up the beating. They'll take advantage of that. At least I'm injured_ already_!" exclaimed Mikan.

"And that's my point _exactly_. You're _already_ injured, and then _adding_ the beating that they'll give, you'll _die_" hissed Kaito, looking over his shoulder.

"Kaito-" Mikan began. Kaito turned around, his body facing Mikan.

"Shut up, Sakura" Kaito growled at her, cutting her off. He then turned back around and faced Reo.

"Show me what you got" he told Reo.

"Kaito, you_ idiot_" Mikan muttered, now looking at the ground. When she looked up to look at Kaito, the three guards were already towering over him. Mikan winced as she watched the three guards punch and kick Kaito with all the might. She was 100% sure that they were having their revenge. Now, Mikan wished she had just left them and gone away instead of being so egoistic and show off.

After what seemed like an eternity, they finally stopped, they walked away, revealing a completely different Kaito before the beating. Before the guards beat him up, Kaito had stature, confidence, now, he all he could do was glare, yet, it seemed like it needed a heap of strength to do so. It was a miracle that he was able to get on his feet.

"Are you done now?" asked Kaito, looking at Reo right in the eyes. Reo gave a satisfied nod.

"Go ahead and leave" said Reo.

Mikan immediately stood up and strode over to Kaito, despite the immense pain everytime she moved, and grabbed his shoulder. Within seconds, they disappeared from the AAO, teleporting to the academy.

Reo watched as they disappeared. When they were gone, Reo ordered his men away.

"Goodbye, my brother" Reo muttered as he walked away and headed to his office to finish off some work.

* * *

><p>As soon as Mikan and Kaito arrived at the academy, Mikan could barely stand up. Kaito caught her before she fell on the ground.<p>

"Mikan?" Kaito asked her, worried. Mikan let out a small smile. Kaito felt like punching himself. That small smile seemed so hard for her to do, yet she did it for him.

"Don't wear yourself out so much" he told her. Kaito looked around the area, where they currently were. "Damn, where are we?" Kaito muttered. He then looked down at Mikan in his arms and spoke to her with a painful expression.

"I'm sorry, but you're going to have to tell me where to go. I don't know my way around here. And having to call someone for help would create chaos" he told her. Mikan nodded and tried to stand up by herself. Kaito frowned.

"No way are you going to stand up by yourself" he told her. Kaito then wrapped Mikan's arm around his neck and then picked Mikan up bridal style, careful not to touch her wounds, and continued to talk. "Tell me where to go by tapping your fingers on my neck, like that game we did" Kaito told her. Mikan smiled. She remembered when she was bored to death, and Kaito told her a game to play. They ended up exploring the whole AAO playing 'Tell me where'. As weird as the name was, it was fun. She never knew it would be possible to be so close to someone within such a short time.

"We need to…get to my…room" said Mikan slowly. Kaito was about to tell her to not talk, as it would tire her out even more, but Mikan continued to talk.

"But…Kaito…" she continued. "Make…sure…that you…don't…get caught…by…anyone" Mikan told him. Kaito smiled and nodded.

"Alright. Sure thing, honey" he answered her. Mikan turned her head to look at Kaito. Kaito inwardly cursed. What the hell? Did he seriously call her 'honey'? Though, Mikan merrily smiled and leaned her head against Kaito's chest. Kaito couldn't help but smile at Mikan's innocence.

They started to work together, making their way around the academy until they reached their destination- Mikan's room.

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><p>HELLO! I updated earlier than usual (:<p>

I hope you enjoyed this chapter. I apologise for my noob-ness. I'm not exactly good at describing…uh…fighting…action…yeah…that stuff. You know what I mean.

BUT, I SHALL CONTINUE READING…and try to improve (:

P.S. I've already started on Ch.26, so if i'm bothered, it should be updated by...Sunday or Monday (18th or 19th- DEC)

Leave a review [:


	26. She's back

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

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><p>Mikan and Kaito were outside Mikan's room. Mikan had used her first three fingers to direct Kaito which way to go. Mikan used her index finger to tell him to go right, her ring finger to go left, and her middle finger to tell him to go backwards or forwards, by scrolling her middle finger back and forth, like scrolling on the mouse. And within minutes, they arrived in front of Mikan's room.<p>

"Right…so, how do we get in?" Kaito asked himself. Before he could try anything, the door opened in front of him. Kaito looked down at the girl in his arms and raised an eyebrow at her.

"What?" she asked him innocently. Kaito shook his head.

"Stop using your Alice. You'll tire yourself out even more" he told her. They both stayed quiet as Kaito entered the room and used his leg to close the door behind him. Mikan, then, secretly used her Alice to lock the door behind them. Kaito carefully placed Mikan on the bed, sitting up. He then took off his shoes and went on the bed and examined her injury on her back, then her abdomen. Kaito grimaced at the sight.

"I could seriously kill him for this" muttered Kaito. Mikan smiled.

"Let it go. It's over" she told him quietly. Kaito heaved a sigh, not bothering to argue with Mikan. He then went off the bed and examined the injury on her abdomen. After he finished, he stood up.

"Well, the bleeding stopped, so that's a good thing, but you've lost a lot of blood. Like, a hell lot of blood" he told Mikan. "Alright, **stay still** while I get you cleaned up and start to heal those wounds" he spoke. Though before Kaito could take another step, Mikan grabbed his arms and pulled him down onto the bed.

"What the-!" exclaimed Kaito. "What are you doing?" he asked her, scowling.

"I need to heal your wounds first" Mikan told him. Kaito backed away.

"Nu-uh, no way, kid" he said to her. Mikan pouted.

"Please, Kaito" she pleaded him. Kaito shook his head. Mikan's head dropped and she stared at her hands in her lap. Kaito saw Mikan grip the hem of her shorts. He then saw a tear drop fall on her lap. Kaito quickly rushed to her.

"What's wrong?" he asked her, worried. Mikan looked up at him, eyes watery. Kaito sighed in defeat and sat down on the ground in front of the bed, in front of Mikan, his back facing her and took off his shirt. Mikan stared at him. Kaito looked over his shoulder and raised an eyebrow at her.

"Go on" he told her. "Go on and heal me" he told her. Mikan smiled brightly at him, as if her injuries were nothing. Kaito stared at the ground as Mikan healed him with her Healing Alice. Moments later, the numbing pain started to fade away, and soon enough, it was gone. Just as Kaito stood up and turned around, Mikan fainted. Kaito caught her before she fell onto the bed- on her injury on her back. Kaito shook his head.

"This girl…" he muttered. Kaito carefully placed Mikan on the bed, lying on her side as he went to the bathroom then find cloth and to clean his hands and to start cleaning her wounds.

Kaito came out of the bathroom with all the equipment needed and started to clean Mikan's wounds. Kaito put Mikan in a sitting position as he took off her shirt.

'It's not like it there would be a difference' thought Kaito, seeing how see through the shirt was, plus how ripped it was already. He also removed her weapons and her shoes. After he was done, Kaito took out two stones from his pocket and put them on the bedside table and started to clean Mikan's wound on her back, since she was already sitting. Kaito carefully cleaned Mikan's wounds and had to constantly remind himself to breathe every now and again since he held his breath while cleaning her wound. Kaito put a bandage over Mikan's right arm-where she had been shot, deciding that it'll slowly heal by itself, since Mikan had already started healing it when they were still at the AAO. Plus, the wound wasn't as bad compared to her other two injuries.

After he was done, Kaito carefully placed Mikan on her side, and grabbed one of the two stones on the bedside table and placed it in his hands. Kaito then closed his eyes and placed his hand over her stomach wound. He remembered Mikan telling him that she would automatically accept an Alice stone that was originally hers if it was placed where needed. Kaito's eyes opened when he saw the stone glow and start to do its magic. When the glow was gone, Kaito saw that the wound was now healed.

Kaito immediately grabbed the second Alice stone after examining Mikan's healed wound and climbed onto the bed and put Mikan into a sitting position. Kaito closed his eyes again and started to hope that it would work quickly. The Alice stone started to glow and Kaito felt like jumping up and down with joy. When the glow was gone, Kaito smiled with relief. He carefully placed Mikan lying down on her back, now that her wound was healed and went away to pack up the equipment he used to clean her wounds, after tucking her in under two blankets, since she wasn't wearing a shirt.

* * *

><p>Natsume checked the time on his iPod and saw that it was almost seven, so he headed back to his room before people started to wake up and see him walking around and come out to tackle him. Just as Natsume went into his room, he could have sworn he felt a presence in Mikan's room. Natsume slowly made his way over to Mikan's door. He placed his hand on the door knob and was about to turn it when he stopped and shook it off.<p>

'No way, Mikan's gone' thought Natsume before heading into his room.

When Natsume entered his room, the first thing he did was go into his bathroom to shower, since he was all sweaty after running. Five minutes later, he came out of the bathroom with his hair damp, and refreshed for the day after missing hours of sleep. Natsume walked out to his balcony and placed his hands on the railing and stared down at the school.

Something suddenly caught his attention. Two people-A couple to be exact. Natsume watched as they smiled at each other. Hold hands and hug each other. Natsume turned away from the sight and leaned against the railing, his back facing the rest of the school.

It had been a while since he last saw Persona. He hadn't seen Persona ever since the last mission. 'Ever since Mikan was gone' thought Natsume.

Natsume leaned off the railing and went into his room to change into some clothes, since he only had a towel wrapped around him. Though before he went into his room, he stopped and walked over to the side of the balcony, closer to Mikan's balcony and tried to look into the room. Unfortunately for him, the curtains were closed.

Running his fingers through his damp hair, Natsume went into his room and changed.

* * *

><p>Sumire, Anna and Nonoko groaned and tried to get extra sleep on the sofa as Hotaru walked everywhere around her laboratory, checking over the final details for the Ball in the evening.<p>

"Urgh, Hotaru…why are we _here_?" complained Sumire. "I could have had an extra hour or two of sleep" she mumbled. Hotaru walked over with something in her hand. Sumire tried to make out what it was. When she did, she screamed.

"AHH!" all three girls screamed. Hotaru had poured cold water on them to wake them up. Now, they were ranting on about how cold they were.

"What was that for?" exclaimed Sumire. Hotaru merely walked away for a minute while the girls tried to squeeze the water out from their shirts. When Hotaru came back, she game them each a towel.

"There. Go in and use the bathroom" she told them. All three girls obeyed and went to the bathroom.

"I never even knew this place even had a bathroom" Sumire whispered to Anna and Nonoko. They agreed.

Anna went in first to shower. Five minutes later, she poked her head out, hair damp and looked at her friends nervously.

"What's wrong, Anna?" Nonoko asked her.

"Uh…What do I wear?" Anna asked. Nonoko and Sumire stared at each other before turning around at the same time to go and call Hotaru, only to see her standing behind them.

"Son of a-" Sumire burst out. Hotaru ignored her and handed Anna a bathrobe, and then handed one to Anna and Sumire before wordlessly walking away.

"What is going _on_?" asked Nonoko as Anna stepped out of the bathroom wearing the bathrobe.

"I don't know, but I guess we'll find out after we shower for the day" Anna answered her. Sumire agreed before entering the bathroom.

After all three girls finished having their shower, they walked out and sat on the couch they were sleeping on a while ago and waited until Hotaru would stop and talk to them.

Finally, Hotaru stopped in front of them, though all the girls could see was the rack full of dresses- Amazing, lovely, elegant dresses.

"Hotaru, what is this?" Sumire asked her, squealing.

"They're dresses" Hotaru answered in a matter of fact tone. She then turned around and handed each person a dress that had a name tag, addressed to each other them on the plastic bag that was covering the dress.

"Where did these dresses come from?" asked Anna as she held the dress against her.

"That'll come later. Now, I need you to try on the dresses. Go and try them on in the room next door, there are also new undergarments in there for you. There are separate cubicles for your three. Hurry up. I need to see if there is any need of changes for the dress" Hotaru told them, pointing to the room next door. Anna, Nonoko- and especially- Sumire, ran to where Hotaru was pointing and closed the cubicle doors shut. When they all came out, they all admired each other's dresses, noting how the colour really suited each of them.

After Hotaru checked all the dresses and made sure that they all fitted, she told them she change out of the dresses and hand them to her.

"There are clothes ready for you" Hotaru told them. "Meet me at the couch when you're done. Be careful when taking off the dress"

Anna, Nonoko and Sumire nodded and went into their cubical to change. Ten minutes later, they joined Hotaru at the couch, all wearing shorts and long sleeved shirts.

"So, what's the deal, Hotaru? Why did you wake us up so early? And where did you get the dresses from?" Sumire asked Hotaru, leaning forward.

"I'll give you one answer" said Hotaru. The girls waited for the answer. When Hotaru told them, they started to scream, laugh and jump around.

"No way!" squealed Anna. Nonoko squealed along with her. Sumire turned to face Hotaru.

"You're not joking, right?" asked Sumire. Hotaru stared at her for a long moment. Sumire sweat dropped.

"Right…" said Sumire. Of course Hotaru wouldn't be joking around. After all the girls calmed down, they all faced Hotaru.

"Ok, so what do you want us to do?" they asked her. Hotaru nodded.

"Now you're talking" she told them. Hotaru reached for a clipboard filled with paper and chucked it towards them. "Go and make sure you're ready. You're up for drama class, girls" Hotaru told them before escorting them to the door. The girls bid Hotaru goodbye before collecting their separate scripts. Hotaru watched as they left. When they were finally gone, Hotaru shut the door and leaned against it.

"It's all for you, Mikan. Make use of it. You asked me a favour, so here you are. I'm doing what you asked" said Hotaru. Hotaru then went back to work on her new invention.

"The things I do for that idiot" muttered Hotaru.

* * *

><p>Mikan groaned as she slowly sat up on the bed. It took her a while until she figured out that she was in her dorm at Gakuen Alice. She then remembered Kaito.<p>

"Kaito?" she called out, removing the blankets off her. That was when she saw that she wasn't wearing a shirt. Mikan let out a small 'Eep' and covered herself with the blankets.

"What the hell?" Mikan whispered. She then got up, wrapping a blanket around herself, to go and search for Kaito. Mikan was about to poke her head out the door to see if Kaito was outside when she heard something in the kitchen. Slowly making her way to the kitchen, Mikan peeked into the kitchen to see Kaito struggling to turn on the stove.

"What are you doing?" asked Mikan, almost giving Kaito a heart attack. Kaito cursed and placed his hands on the edge of the kitchen counter.

"Don't do that ever again. Ever" he told her. Mikan grinned and nodded before making her way into the kitchen, and in front of Kaito to turn on the stove. Kaito stared at Mikan as she easily turned on the stove without a problem.

"Uh…thanks" said Kaito. Mikan grinned at him and patted him on the shoulder before walking off to change clothes. Kaito watched Mikan leave the kitchen before continuing to cook.

A few minutes later, Mikan came back into the kitchen and asked if she could help with anything. Kaito shook his head in reply, not looking at her. Mikan shrugged and decided to clean up. Kaito also started to clean up. When he finished, he looked up to see Mikan wearing a blue Preen Independent Woman Dress, a double fabric blazer and black toe-pointed court heels.

"What's with all the get up?" Kaito asked Mikan with his eyebrow raised. Mikan spun around for him to look at her outfit.

"Do you think I would pass for someone who belongs in this school?" Mikan asked him. "Perhaps a teacher?" she said.

"You didn't answer my question yet" said Kaito, leaning against the kitchen counter. Mikan walked to the door and leaned on the door frame before answering.

"Well" she started off. "I need to get to someone. And I can't let anyone know that I'm back- apart from the person I need to see, of course" she told Kaito. Kaito stared at Mikan.

"No way" he told her. "I'm not letting you go out. Your wounds may be healed, but it doesn't mean that you've recovered from all the blood loss. You still look pale"

"Well, I've recovered well enough, and with the food you prepared, I think I'll be fine" said Mikan, noting the foods that Kaito, most likely, purposely chose to cook to help her with her blood loss. "Lots of red meat there, good job, Kaito" she told him, giving him a thumbs up before grabbing her plate of food and headed out of the kitchen to eat in the living room, followed by Kaito with his plate of food, and two mugs of orange juice.

When Kaito set down the two mugs on orange juice, Mikan spoke.

"You didn't answer my questions yet" Mikan quoted Kaito, eyeing him. Kaito sat down on the couch beside Mikan. "So?" Mikan asked. "Would I pass?"

"Definitely" he answered. "But you'll need to something to cover part of your face. Get sunglasses" he told her. Mikan smiled and nodded before eating.

"Mm, this is…wow, this is amazing. You should just be the school chef" said Mikan. Kaito laughed and thanked Mikan for the compliment.

When they finished eating, Kaito took the two plates of food and his mug, which was previously filled with orange juice, to the kitchen sink, whilst Mikan picked up her mug of orange juice and walked into her bedroom. Mikan stood in front of her mirror, examining how she looked. Mikan walked to her bedside table and put down her empty mug and grabbed a hair tie. Mikan walked back to the mirror and tied her hair in a French Boho braid (Like Blake Lively in gossip girl as _Serena Van Der Woodsen_ (remove the spaces) - (gossipgirl. alloyentertainment. com/ files/ 2011/ 11/ 215046680 - 21181422. jpeg)

Mikan smiled at her achievement and then walked over to her cupboard and grabbed a pair of sunglasses and a folder. Mikan smiled at herself in the mirror, satisfied with her look. Mikan turned around and almost had a heart attack.

"Dear pancakes!" exclaimed Mikan. Kaito raised an amused eyebrow at her.

"Pancakes...?" asked Kaito. Mikan poked her tongue out at Kaito before announcing that she was leaving, and would be back in about half an hour or so. Kaito grabbed Mikan's arm as she walked past him. Mikan looked at him, confused.

"I'm not letting you go out there alone" he told her. Mikan used her free hand to free her arm from Kaito's grip.

"I'll be fine. I'll come back, I promise" she told him before running out the door and slamming it shut. Kaito glared at the closed door. Kaito heaved a frustrated sigh and ran his fingers through his hair. His eye then caught something.

"Oh, you've got to be kidding me" muttered Kaito. "She didn't even put away for mug!" Kaito exclaimed, as he picked up the mug and went to the kitchen to put it in the sink.

* * *

><p>Natsume had made his way to the Sakura tree after he had changed into some clothes. He was currently staring blankly at his manga when something blue caught his eye. In the corner of his eye, he saw someone walk down the hallway, in a graceful manner. Somehow, her movements reminded him of Mikan. Natsume immediately sat up from his slouching position and followed the person with his eyes as she came closer to the Sakura tree.<p>

Natsume saw the person stop beside the tree and look at it. For some reason, Natsume's heart skipped a beat. When the person proceeded walking, Natsume climbed onto the tree branch, still having his locked on the person.

Natsume frowned when he heard someone call his name. Natsume ignored the person and shifted into a comfortable position to read his manga.

"Ah, come on, Natsume! I know you can hear me. For my sake, please come down and listen!" Ruka called out. Natsume heaved a sigh and swiftly jumped off the tree branch, landing in front of a smiling Ruka.

"Thank you" said Ruka. Natsume stared at him, waiting for him to continue talking. "Hotaru-" was all Ruka said when he was cut off by Natsume.

"No. Go away" said Natsume.

"Ah, come on!" Ruka complained. Natsume raised an eyebrow.

"Since when did you start running errands for Imai? Actually, since when did you start calling Imai by her given name?" said Natsume. Ruka blushed.

"I...w-w-well, you see... I... w-w-we...C-c-could you not ask that?" stuttered Ruka. Natsume smirked.

"Whatever" said Natsume, putting his hands in his pockets. "So, where to?" he asked Ruka. Ruka let out a sigh of relief.

"The auditorium" Ruka told him before telling Natsume he needed to go somewhere. Natsume nodded and slowly made his way to the auditorium, his mind still thinking of the person in the blue dress.

* * *

><p>Mikan had passes the Sakura tree- where she had first asked Natsume for a favour. Mikan smiled at the memory. Her mood dropped by a mile when she saw a certain teacher in front of her approaching her.<p>

"Hello, I'm Jinno-sensei, a math teacher. You must be new here, Miss...?" Jinno asked her. Mikan's eyes widened.

'Damn it' she thought, trying to find an excuse to leave. She was about to speak, when she felt an arm wrap around her waist. Mikan turned her head around, ready to give the person an earful when she suddenly saw who the arm belonged to. Mikan was about to lecture the person, though she was silenced when the person tightened their arm around her waist.

"Hello, I'm Yamamoto, Kaito. Pleased to meet you" greeted Kaito, as he shook Jinno's hand. Jinno nodded.

"Well, I have never seen you two around. Who are you?" asked Jinno, suspicious of the two people currently I front of him.

"Uh, we are here to see another teacher here. My, uh, partner, here is the person helping with the planning for this evening" said Kaito. Jinno nodded.

"I see" said Jinno. He then turned to Mikan. "And your partner's name is...?"

"Her name is Michelle...Michelle Kimura" Kaito blurted out. Mikan raised an eyebrow at Kaito behind her large sunglasses. Jinno leaned forward and held his hand out to shake Mikan's hand.

"Nice to meet you, Kimura-san" he greeted her. "So, who is it that you need to see?" he asked her. Kaito started to get nervous now. Mikan was about to talk, again, when someone caught her sight.

"MM!" she spoke hummed, pointing to someone. Jinno turned around.

"Ah, Narumi, of course" Jinno muttered. Jinno called Narumi over and told him about Mikan. Narumi stared at her for a short while before smiling and nodded and told her to follow him. Mikan and Kaito bowed at Jinno and then hurriedly followed Narumi. When they were out of Jinno's sight, Narumi stopped in his tracks and turned around.

"So, who are you again?" he asked them. Mikan smiled and lowered her sunglasses slightly to reveal her eyes. Narumi gasped.

"Mikan?" he whispered. Mikan nodded and put on her sunglasses on.

"Nice seeing you again" she said. Narumi nodded.

"Definitely" he agreed. He then looked at Kaito and then looked back at Mikan. "So, is he your...uh...someone you found whilst you were gone?" he asked her. Kaito and Mikan blushed.

"No, no...nooo, he's, uh, my friend" she told Narumi. Narumi nodded.

"Well then, off you go!" Narumi shooed them away. Mikan bowed and made her way to her destination. She then stopped and spun around put her hand out, stopping Kaito in his tracks.

"You" she said. "Need to go back. I have some stuff to do" she told him. Kaito opened his mouth to speak when Mikan cut him off. "Private stuff" she told him sternly. Kaito frowned and heaved a sigh.

"Fine" he grunted and turned around to walk away. Mikan smiled and grabbed Kaito hand and spun him around and a kiss on his cheek.

"Thank you, Kaito" she whispered before walking off. Kaito placed a hand over his cheek, as if keeping the lingering feeling of Mikan's kiss on his cheek. Kaito smiled and turned away and walked back to Mikan's room.

* * *

><p>Hotaru was working on her invention when she heard a knock on her door. Hotaru frowned and continued on her invention for a while longer before finally settling down her equipment and reached for a remote that turned on the television above her lab table. Hotaru's eyes widened when she saw who was waiting outside.<p>

Hotaru got up to open the door. Before opening the door, Hotaru closed her eyes and took a deep breath. She then swung the door open, causing the person to jump back in shock.

Hotaru stared the person in front of her. The person smiled at her.

"Hello, Hotaru. How have you been?" the person greeted. Hotaru nodded and returned the greeting.

"Hello, Mikan. You're back"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Hello! So how was this chapter? Like it? (:

I'll probably update the next chapter on Tuesday or Wednesday (26th or 27th DEC), but if I'm bothered, I might update on Saturday (24th DEC)

**Leave a review! **(:


	27. Getting ready

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

Hey, guys! This will be...a **short chapter**, since I _actually_ planned this one out .

* * *

><p>Natsume was making his way towards the auditorium when he saw someone he hadn't seen around before. Not that Natsume would know many people around the school, but this guy definitely did not attend this school for any reasonable reason, according to Natsume, that is. As they walked closer to each other, Natsume was able to see the person's face clearer. 'He can't be much older than I am' thought Natsume. Just as Natsume was about to walk past the person, the person stopped in front of him and introduced himself.<p>

"Hello, I'm Kaito Yamamoto. Uh, I was wondering where the special star rooms are?" he asked Natsume. Natsume's eyes narrowed at the person in front of him. Natsume merely continued walking, ignoring the person. Kaito raised his eyebrows at Natsume, staring at Natsume as he walked away.

"Oi!" Kaito called out. Natsume stopped in his tracks. Kaito grinning and jogged up to Natsume, who was slowly turning around cautiously, eyeing Kaito, trying to read him.

"What?" said Natsume, starting to get annoyed by a guy he barely knew- not that that was a surprise.

"What's your name?" Kaito asked him. Natsume raised an eyebrow at Kaito.

"What good will it do you?" Natsume asked him. Kaito shrugged. Natsume decided to leave and proceeded to make his way towards the auditorium for the, what seemed like, the hundredth time.

"You know, it would be nice to answer people and know people, you know! It could do you some good!" Kaito called out. Natsume stopped walking and turned around.

"How would you know?" Natsume asked him coldly. Kaito smirked.

"It's something I learnt from a girl that I've only met for, not even a week, and I seem to know lots about her already" answered Kaito, referring to Mikan. Natsume grunted and turned away. Before he continued to walk, he called out to Kaito.

"Go straight, then turn on the second left, then the first right" Natsume told him. Kaito grinned.

"Thanks!" he called out, before turning around to make his way back to Mikan's room. He stopped in his tracks when he heard someone call out to him. Slowly turning around, Kaito gave Natsume a questioning look.

"It's Hyuuga. Natsume Hyuuga" Natsume told him before turning around to continue walking. Kaito watched Natsume walk away with a smirk on his face.

"Well, didn't he seem nice" said Kaito as he shook his head in amusement.

* * *

><p>Hotaru and Mikan were currently seated at the couch and were talking about Mikan's stay at the AAO.<p>

"Are your injuries healed? Were there any other problems? Does it still hurt anywhere?" Hotaru asked Mikan. Mikan smiled at Hotaru's concern. It wasn't every day that Hotaru would ask her if she was alright.

"Yes, I am fine. I'm cured. Kaito fixed me up" Mikan told Hotaru, smiling. Hotaru grimaced at the name.

"This guy- Kaito" said Hotaru, "What kind of guy is he?" questioned Hotaru.

"He's great. I absolutely adore him" Mikan answered, smiling. Hotaru stared at Mikan for a long moment Mikan stared back, confused as to why Hotaru kept staring at her.

"Hotaru, what's wrong?" Mikan asked, concerned. Hotaru sighed and leaned forward, leaning her elbows on her knees.

"Do you like this guy? Kaito, I mean" Hotaru asked Mikan. Mikan smiled at Hotaru's frankness.

"Yes, I like him. Of course I do!" Mikan replied, giggling. "But I don't like him any more than a friend. He's only my friend. Maybe cousin or brother, but that is all" said Mikan. Hotaru nodded and put down her cup of water on the coffee table, and stood up, followed by Mikan.

"So, how are Sumire, Anna and Nonoko?" asked Mikan.

"They're fine. They're getting ready for this evening" replied Hotaru, crossing her legs. "It's all ready. Everyone's done their part. Now it's all up to you" said Hotaru. Mikan nodded.

"Well then, I'll see you later in the evening" said Mikan. Mikan smiled at Hotaru, who nodded at her.

"Yes, I shall" answered Hotaru.

"Well, I'll be going then" Mikan announced. Mikan closed her eyes to get ready to teleport when Hotaru spoke.

"Are you sure you're able to use your Alice?" Hotaru asked her. Mikan nodded, her eyes still closed.

"See you later" said Mikan before teleporting away.

* * *

><p>Kaito was seated at the couch, watching a movie that he had picked out from the collection by the table under the television when he suddenly heard something behind him. Kaito turned around to see Mikan behind him, about to fall. Kaito's eyes widened and he jumped over the couch and caught Mikan in time before she fell.<p>

"You're not well enough to be using your Alice. You should know that, Mikan" scolded Kaito. Mikan waved her hand at him, trying to dismiss the topic.

"I'm fine. I'm just a bit dizzy. Honest" said Mikan, standing up on her own, making her way towards the couch and slumping down on it. Mikan lay down on the couch, looking up at the ceiling. Kaito face came into view, leaning over the couch and stared at her. Mikan smiled at him. Kaito and Mikan had a staring contest for a moment before Mikan's eyes widened and she leaped off the couch, screaming.

"SWEET PANCAKES!" she cried, running around the couch, and then Kaito, in circles. Kaito held his arms out and caught Mikan, preventing her from continuing to run in circles before she ended up getting too dizzy.

"Calm down, take a _nice_ and _deep_ breath" he instructed her as if she was a little kid. Mikan did as she was told, after glaring at Kaito, and took a deep breath. "What's wrong?" Kaito asked Mikan, after she looked as if she had calmed down enough. Mikan told him that she had to do something for this evening and she had to practice something. Kaito laughed.

"What's so funny?" Mikan asked him, frowning.

"Not much. Just how you freak over such small things" he told her. Mikan poked her tongue out at him, placing her hands on her hips.

"I'll help you" he told her. Mikan's face brightened up.

"Seriously?" she exclaimed. Kaito nodded. Mikan cheered, and made her way to her closet to change into something more comfortable. When she opened the closet, she found two dresses on the rack, both rapped in a separate plastic bag. Mikan smiled, mentally thanking Hotaru before grabbing a pair of yoga pants and a three-quarter sleeved shirt to go into the bathroom to change.

* * *

><p>Natsume walked into the auditorium to see people going everywhere. Natsume saw Yuu busy checking the final details, Hana and Daichi leaning against a wall all relaxed, listening to the IPods. He was about to go and sit down himself when Hotaru appeared from out of nowhere and took out a bullhorn, announcing to everyone there was rehearsal. Natsume saw Anna appear from the side of the stage and onto the stage.<p>

"Anna, Hana, Hyuuga, Nishimura, let's have you rehearse first" said Hotaru. Anna nodded got into her position on stage as the rest of them hopped off. Yuu walked up to Hotaru and told her they everything was done and finished. Hotaru nodded and Yuu walked away, along with everyone else, except for the four people on stage and Hotaru herself.

Natsume and the others rehearsed multiple times, never forgetting a step in their dances. Anna also practised her MC-ing on stage. Hotaru would tell her to take breaths in between sentences and to even out her pace when talking, since Anna kept on talking too fast.

While Anna was practicing her MC-ing, Hana, Daichi and Natsume would lean against the wall and listen to their IPods until they were needed again by Hotaru. Natsume leaned his head back onto the wall and heaved an exasperated sigh. He had a feeling that tonight would definitely be a long night.

* * *

><p>Kaito and Mikan had started dancing the moment Mikan came out of the bathroom. Kaito frowned as he caught Mikan when she was about to fall flat on her face when she tripped.<p>

"Are you sure you're alright? I thought...someone like you would have better footing" he said. Mikan could barely resist the urge to roll her eyes at Kaito.

"Honestly, Kaito, I'm fine. Great" she told him. Kaito opened his mouth to say something when Mikan held up a hand, silencing him. "But I won't be if you keep asking me, alright?" she told him sternly. Kaito nodded and kept quiet as he plopped onto the couch and watched Mikan head into the kitchen to fill two glasses with water. Kaito accepted the glass of water gratefully and drained it down. Mikan drank her water slowly and tapped her fingers on the glass rhythmically to a song that was stuck in her head. Kaito stared at Mikan from the corner of his eyes before fully turning around to face her, deciding to make a conversation as they had a break.

"So, how you know, while I was walking around the academy, I noticed all the floors were amazingly shiny, and..." and like that, they started talking as if they've known each other since they were in diapers.

"I swear, he gets on my nerve. Everytime I see him I want to just- wow. Really, you have no idea. Akatsuki Watanabe is a complete dick in my opinion" said Mikan. Kaito slumped back against the couch and laughed.

"Really?" he asked her with a raised eyebrow, wondering if Mikan was just over exaggerating.

"Yes. Really" she replied. Kaito laughed again.

"So, what else is there?" asked Kaito. He then sat up straight. "Anyone you fancy?" he asked her. Mikan blushed and tried her best to hide it but failed. Kaito smirked.

"So there is. Who is it?" he asked her. Mikan took a deep breath before speaking.

"He's in my class. He's arrogant bum face, but he's also caring. The things he does behind the curtains for everyone else in the school makes him simply irresistible" Mikan spoke honestly. Kaito chuckled.

"Alright, alright" he said. "So, what's his name?" he asked her. Mikan raised an eyebrow at him. Kaito put both his hands up in the air. "Just curious" he said. Mikan laughed.

"His name is Natsume. Natsume Hyuuga" said Mikan smiling to herself as she said his name. Kaito couldn't help but smile as he watched Mikan say the name of someone she liked.

"I see... Natsume Hyuuga's the lucky guy, aye?" said Kaito. Mikan grinned and nodded. It was then when something inside Kaito clicked. Natsume Hyuuga. That name sounds seriously familiar. Kaito could barely stop himself from grinning like an idiot in front of Mikan. He had to pick up his glass of water and pretend to drink it whilst looking the opposite direct of Mikan.

An hour later, they were on their feet again and dancing. Mikan threw her head back and laughed when she ended up tackling Kaito onto the ground when she lost her footing. Kaito laughed along with her. He was sure that it wouldn't be the last time Mikan would tackle him for the afternoon.

* * *

><p>Narumi sipped his cup of coffee and watched his fellow students rush around from place to place from the classroom window. Narumi smiled when he remembered the first day that Mikan arrived into his class. All his cute students were in awe at her cuteness. Narumi grinned. He knew that Mikan and Natsume would be right for each other the moment he assigned them to be partners.<p>

Narumi took a sip from his coffee and smiled. He was happy. And he was sure that they will soon be very happy as well.

* * *

><p>From a distance, hidden behind the trees, someone watched Kaito and Mikan dance around the room and start laughing whenever they stuff something up. He rolled his eyes when he saw the girl try to steady herself properly on her feet since she almost fell. Deciding that he had enough watching, he decided to approach them.<p>

He jumped onto the balcony outside the girl's room without a sound and slammed open the door, knowing that it wouldn't be locked. The two youngsters jumped in surprise. Mikan stared wide eyed at the person in front of her.

"Persona!" she cried, running to him before leaping onto him, giving him a hug. Persona patted her head and rolled his eyes. His gaze then focused on the boy in front of him, who seemed to not be able to move since he saw Persona.

Mikan slowly lowered herself on the ground before turning to Kaito and then back to Persona. "Persona, this is Kaito Yamamoto" she introduced, him. She then turned to face Kaito and introduced her brother. "And Kaito, this is Persona, my brother" she said. Kaito paled slightly when Mikan told him who the freaky guy in front of her way.

"Your brother?" he asked her nervously. Mikan beamed.

"Yes, he is" she told him proudly. Kaito smiled slightly at her before turning back to look at Persona.

"Uh, hello" he greeted Persona. Persona greeted him back with a nod before turning around to face Mikan and raised an eyebrow at her. Mikan, as if knowing what he was saying, pouted.

"I'm sorry I didn't tell you I was back" she apologised, her hands linking behind her back. Persona rolled his eyes.

"Whatever" he said. "But why exactly is he here?" asked Persona, pointing at Kaito. Kaito paled even more.

"Well…he…" Mikan stayed silent and stared at Persona. Kaito looked between the two of them, who seemed to be having a staring contest. After a moment, Persona nodded and turned around to walk off after bidding goodbye.

"Bye, Nii-chan!" Mikan called out before Persona leaped off the balcony and disappearing. Kaito approached Mikan and stood next to her, staring at where he last saw Persona.

"What were you two doing a moment ago?" he asked Mikan, still staring at the balcony. Mikan turned to look at him.

"Oh, just told him how you left the AAO, and you wanted to do something here at the academy" she told him. Kaito nodded and walked over to the couch to pick up the two cups to refill them. Mikan followed Kaito to the kitchen as he refilled the two cups with water. Mikan leaned against the kitchen counter and looked up at the ceiling.

'By the way, you'll be working with him. I was able to persuade him to give you a chance to take my place in the Dangerous Ability class" Mikan told Kaito nonchalantly. Kaito chocked on his drink and started coughing. Mikan leaned off the counter and patted his back. "What's wrong?" she asked him.

"You couldn't tell me that _before_ I starting drinking my water?" he choked out. Mikan grinned and patted his shoulder before grabbing her cup and drank from it after uttering an apology. Kaito sighed and leaned against the kitchen counter with Mikan.

No offence, but you brother scares the shit out of me" he told her. Mikan stopped drinking and smirked at Kaito.

"Yeah, he tends to do that to people"

* * *

><p><strong>AN:** Helloooos. This chapter's shorter than my other chapters. I apologise. Reason being, I actually _planned out_ the chapter and then started planning out the_ next_ chapter before rethinking if _this_ chapter was long enough. I'll try to make the next one longer.

The story's almost coming to an end, I think. The next chapter will be the chapter Mikan and Natsume meeeeeeeeeeet. (: Just telling, if you wanted to know.

Anywho, thanks for reading! **Review**? :P


	28. The Ball begins

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

* * *

><p><span>Extra note: There will quite the number of links in this chapter, so if you're bothered to check whatever I'm describing, very poorly might I add, make sure you take out all the spaces or else it won't work (I think).<span>

* * *

><p>Sumire, Nonoko and Anna were currently in Sumire's room, getting ready for the evening. They had agreed to go over to Sumire's place to get ready, since her room was bigger than Anna and Nonoko's, them being only single star and all while Sumire was a double star.<p>

While Anna started to style Nonoko's hair with the hair dryer, Sumire was flicking through magazines, wondering if there were any more hairstyles for her to choose from. Picking up another magazine, Sumire spoke.

"Do you think everything will go as planned?" asked Sumire, looking up from the magazine in her hands and watched as Anna scrunched sections of Nonoko's hair with her fingers. Anna smiled.

"Yes, I am sure of it. If not, I'm sure you have more than just one plan in her head as backup" said Anna. Sumire laughed. Her friends knew her too well. Sumire put the magazine aside and walked over to her bed, where Anna was styling Nonoko's hair. Sumire sat down on the edge of the bed next to Nonoko and watched as Anna started to tie her hair into a ponytail before taking sections of hair from the ponytail and wrapping it around the base of the ponytail before securing it with pins.

"How do you know how to do that do quickly?" asked Sumire in awe. Anna giggled.

"It's not hard, Sumire. You're just too lazy to read the instructions that tell you how to style the hairstyle that you're aiming for" teased Anna as she securing the last section of hair with hair pins. [http: / / www. dailymakeover. com/ appImages/ galleryImages/ celebrity_hairstyles_ladies/ Vanessa_Hudgens+Jul_10_2007 .jpg]

"There" said Anna, stepping off the bed and admired her work. "I must admit, I do a pretty good job with styling hair" Anna joked. Sumire laughed and headed towards the door, hearing it being knocked on. Sumire opened the door and her eyes almost popped out of the sockets when she saw who was at her door.

"Holy crap!" exclaimed Sumire. Anna and Nonoko rushed towards the door and squealed at the sight in front of them.

"Oh. My. Gosh, Hotaru!" they exclaimed. In front of them was Hotaru, already dressed for the evening. Hotaru was wearing a purple, floor length, strapless dress and 'Reno shoes by Colourfillics in Silver'. Hotaru's hair was shoulder length, since she hadn't cut it in the past few months. Hotaru had styled her hair to be a tucked back, rolled up hairstyle with a side-part and loose braid sections.

[Dress: http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage .cfm? cataId=PD&productid=742495&imgindex=1]

[Hair: http: / / www. dailymakeover. com/ appImages/ galleryImages/ all_womens_looks/ Emma_Watson+Feb_08_2009 .jpg]

"Wow, Hotaru, you look so pretty!" squealed Nonoko, jumping up and down on the spot.

"The benefits of having longer hair, I tell you. Longer hair suits you well, Hotaru" said Sumire. Hotaru rolled her eyes and ignored the commotion that was currently happening and grabbed Anna's wrist and dragged her over to the couch and took out her equipment to style Anna's hair. As Hotaru started to separate her hair from the middle, Anna stayed completely still, not daring to move a muscle.

"You can breathe, you know" said Hotaru as she started to twist Anna's hair into a messy bun. Anna took a deep breath in and let out a nervous laugh.

"Ah hah…yeah, I forgot…" mumbled Anna. Hotaru stopped doing what she was doing for a split second and raised her eyebrow at Anna before letting it drop and continuing to do Anna's hair.

"So, Hotaru, why did you bother coming all the way over here when me or Nonoko could have done her hair?" asked Sumire, who was currently having her hair done by Nonoko. Hotaru secured Anna's bun with multiple pins before answering.

"Well, Anna doing an important role tonight, I can't risk her being a mess. Plus, I have a specific hairstyle that I wanted her to have" answered Hotaru.

"I see…" said Sumire. She would have nodded, but that would have ruined whatever Nonoko was currently doing to her hair.

"So what are you doing to Anna's hair, Hotaru?" asked Nonoko.

"You'll see later" was all Hotaru told then as she started to loop random curls at the ends of Anna's hair. Nonoko ran her fingers to through Sumire's wavy hair to break up the waves and then used hairspray to hold the style.

"There, it's all done" announced Nonoko. Sumire checked herself in the mirror and grinned. [http: / / www. dailymakeover. com/ appImages/ galleryImages/ women_celebrity_hairstyles/ Vanessa_Hudgens+Mar_24_2011 .jpg]

As soon as Nonoko did the finishing touches on Sumire's hair, they both rushed towards the couch and gasped.

"Wow, Hotaru. You really know how to choose the best hair style for the occasion, don't you" said Sumire. Hotaru stayed silent and stepped back to see if there was anything else to fix up. Satisfied, Hotaru put back her equipment while Anna stood up and looked in the mirror. Her eyes widened when she saw herself. Hotaru had done her hair perfect for the occasion. [http: / / www. dailymakeover. com /appImages /galleryImages /all_womens_looks /Vanessa_Hudgens+Feb_22_]

"Well, we better get going" announced Hotaru. "Sumire, Nonoko, go put your dresses on. Anna, wear something that will be easy to put on and take off without ruining your hair" instructed Hotaru. All girls nodded and quickly went away to put on their clothes.

Anna was first to come out, since she just needed to wear something simple. Anna wore a button up dress shirt with ballet flats. While the other girls were still changing, there was a knock at the door. Anna went to open it and found Mochu, Yuu and Koko at the door, all dressed up in suits.

"Wow, you guys look amazing" complimented Anna, grinning. The boys grinned as well.

"You look good too, though I must say, I thought you would be a bit more dressed up, Anna" said Yuu. Anna laughed.

"This is temporary. My dress will be on later" she told him. She then stepped aside and let the boys in. Mochu and Koko stood next to each other while Yuu stood next to Anna.

Minutes later, Sumire and Nonoko came out and were surprised to see the boy waiting for them. Mochu and Koko's eyes widened.

"...Wow" they both whispered. Both girls twirled around for the boys and posed, grinning. Sumire was wearing a green, Strapless Ball Gown with Sequin Embellishments. Nonoko was wearing a pink, strapless, sweetheart gown.

[Sumire: http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage .cfm? cataId=PD&productid=487004&imgindex=1]

[Nonoko: http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage .cfm? cataId=PD&productid=621888&imgindex=1]

Yuu cleared his throat, breaking the boys out of their trance. "Well, then, we should go" he announced, holding out his hand which held Anna's mask. Anna smiled and accepted the mask and put it on. She then linked her arm around Yuu's and waited for the other two pairs, who were also doing the same thing as them. As soon as everyone had their masks on, they all followed Hotaru out the door to the auditorium.

* * *

><p>Natsume was lying on a tree branch at the Sakura tree, every now and then seeing two people with their arms linked, head towards the auditorium. Natsume heaved a sigh and looked up at the night sky. Ruka had come knocking on his door about an hour ago, telling him to get ready. Natsume had been stubborn, not wanting to go until Ruka begged him to go because Hotaru would end up shooting him in the head and blackmail him until god-knows-when. Natsume had agreed and made his way to the couch while Ruka went and got his suits from the cupboard.<p>

-Flashback-

_Ruka approached the couch and threw Natsume his black suit. Natsume frowned._

"_Ruka" he called out as Ruka made his way towards the door. Ruka turned around. "Wrong suit" Natsume told him, looking at the white suit in Ruka's hand._

"_No, it's not" replied Ruka, trying his best to keep the smile that threatening to appear on his face._

"_Yeah, it is. The black one's for the whole night. The white one's to perform. I'm only going to wear the one I'll perform in" said Natsume, standing._

"_Nope" said Ruka. "The white one's for the whole night, and the black one's for the performing. Sorry, Natsume, you're going to have to change later. Hotaru's orders" said Ruka before jogging out the door, closing it behind him. Natsume heaved a sigh and grabbed the suit from off the couch and went to change._

-End flashback-

Natsume closed his eyes as he heard someone approach the Sakura tree. Already knowing who it is, he didn't bother checking who it was.

"What is it, Ruka?" he asked, eyes still closed. Ruka frowned.

"You know very well what it is. Come on, Natsume!" exclaimed Ruka. Natsume opened his eyes and rolled them.

"Alright, alright" muttered Natsume, jumping down. "Let's go" he said, stuffing his hands into the pockets of his jacket before walking off, Ruka following him close behind.

When they reached the entrance of the auditorium, they spotted Daichi and Hana, who seemed to be waiting for them.

Hana was wearing the outfit, for her and Anna, for the performance that was going to happen in just over half an hour. The outfit was a long, layered gold lace dress. [http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage. cfm? cataId=PD&productid=271354&imgindex=1]

"About time you're here" said Hana, lifting up her dress so it didn't touch the floor, and grabbed Natsume's arm, dragging him backstage.

When they reached backstage and turned into a room, Natsume yanked his arm free and glared at Hana. Hana rolled her eyes and pushed Natsume down on a chair. Natsume wasn't able to catch up on what was going on until Hana walked away, closing the door after telling him to come out in half an hour.

Natsume stared at the door, confused. He then looked at himself in the mirror to see that Hana had styled his hair and put a mask on him.

"How the hell was I not able to realise what she did?" muttered Natsume in disbelief. Heaving a sigh, Natsume leaned his back against the chair and closed his eyes to try and relax.

* * *

><p>Mikan and Kaito were making their way towards the auditorium, for The Ball. Mikan had handed Kaito a suit to wear before heading into the bathroom to change, herself.<p>

-Flashback-

"_Kaito, here's a suit. Change into it. I'll be out in about fifteen or twenty and then we need to get going" Mikan told him. Kaito nodded and took the suit from Mikan as she turned around to get her dress and make her way into the bathroom. Kaito changed quickly, and went back to the couch to watch TV._

_Inside the bathroom, Mikan started to style her hair. Mikan decided to do side parted waves, so her tattoo at the back of her neck would be covered. [_http: / / img2. timeinc. net/ instyle/ images/ 2010/ GalxMonth/ 08/ 081910-kate-beckinsale-400. jpg_]_

_While styling her hair, Mikan thought about possible ways the night could turn out. Mikan saw it in two ways: The night turns out well-as hoped for, or she might have to slam her head against a tree and hope she forgets everything._

_When Mikan finished, she grabbed her dress and put it on. Mikan had two dresses- A red one and a white one. The red dress was for the first quarter of the evening, and then the white dress for the rest of the night._

_[Red:_ http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage. cfm? cataId=PD&productid=810937&imgindex=1]

_Mikan put on her red dress and then looked at herself in the mirror, which she had dragged in from her room. Mikan smiled at her reflection. She had to admit, she looked good. The dress was a red, high-low, one shoulder 'La Femme' dress with an open back and cut out side on the right side of the dress. It also had sequins embellished and a pleated skirt._

'_I need to cover my tattoo on my wrist as well' she thought. Mikan looked into her box of jewels and found a bracelet._

'_Perfect' though Mikan, slipping on the bracelet around her wrist. Taking one last glance on of herself in the mirror, Mikan grabbed all her stuff and made her way out of the bathroom._

_Kaito heard the bathroom door open, so he grabbed the remote and turned off the TV and turned around. Kaito was amazed when he saw Mikan. Who knew a piece of clothing and a change of hairstyle would change a person's appearance completely? He definitely hadn't.  
><em>

_Kaito stood up and helped Mikan take the mirror out of the bathroom and put it back where it belonged before twirling her around and taking a step back to look at her properly._

"_You look wonderful. But that's not the dress that you'll be wearing for the whole night, is it?" he asked her. Mikan laughed and answered Kaito by waving her hand in the air. She then took a look at Kaito and smiled._

"_Thank you" she said. "You don't look bad, yourself" she told him, grinning. Kaito rolled his eyes._

"_Let's go?" he asked her, offering Mikan his arm. Mikan quickly grabbed the white dress that was on the bed, wrapped in a big plastic bag, and went over to Kaito and linked her arm with his._

_Kaito and Mikan made their way towards the door when Kaito stopped them in their tracks._

"_Oh, almost forgot" he said. Kaito took out two masks and handed Mikan a red mask that covered her face up to her cheekbones. Mikan thanked him and put it on. After Kaito put on his mask, he opened the door for Mikan. Closing the door behind him, Mikan linked her arm with his and they made their way to the auditorium._

* * *

><p>Mikan and Kaito were already in the auditorium and had already gone backstage and put away Mikan's white dress where Hotaru had instructed her and they were currently making their way towards a table with Mikan's classmates standing around the table, since there were no chairs, only tall tables. As Mikan and Kaito approached them, Hotaru turned around and nodded at them. Mikan nodded back.<p>

"Hello" Mikan greeted them. Everyone greeted back. Mikan took a place next to Hotaru, Kaito standing on her right. Around the table, Mikan saw Ruka on Hotaru's left, then with Koko on Ruka's left, followed by Nonoko, then Sumire and then Mochu, who was standing on Kaito's right. Mikan frowned behind her mask when she didn't see Hana, Daichi, Anna or Yuu. But she then realised that they were probably back stage.

Moments later, the lights dimmed and a spotlight focused on two people, who were on stage.

"Hello, I'm Misaki Harada and beside me is Tsubasa Andou" introduced Misaki, a bright smile on her face. Tsubasa held up his microphone and spoke.

"We were once students at this academy. We graduated a couple of years ago. Unsure when, cause I don't really care" Tsubasa joked. Misaki rolled her eyes before holding up her microphone to speak.

"There will be many special performances to be performed and many surprises to happen tonight, so we hope you are prepared. Your MC for tonight will be Anna Umenomiya, who will be performing this lovely performance next up"

Tsubasa nodded at whatever Misaki said spoke. "The first performance for tonight is part of a movie that many of us might be familiar with- Pride and Prejudice. These performers have worked hard and I hope they will have a lovely round of applause at the end. The music is 'Rondo from Abdelazer' by Henry Purcell. Well, we hope you enjoy the night. This is all for us. Thank you" said Tsubasa, as he and Misaki went backstage. The spotlight moved to the cleared dance floor, with Natsume, Anna, Hana and Daichi already in their positions, all wearing masks.

Mikan was fascinated by how lovely Hana and Anna looked in their dresses as they performed. Mikan suddenly felt someone elbow her. Mikan looked down to see the elbow belonged to Hotaru.

"What is it, Hotaru?" she whispered. Hotaru handed Mikan a tablet and slid a glass of water in front of Mikan before turning around to continue focusing on filming the performance. Mikan smiled and plopped the tablet into her mouth and drank a mouthful of water before continuing to watch the performance.

As she watched the performance, she couldn't help but smile at the memory of when Mikan and Natsume first dance. Looking back on it now, it was rather funny to see Natsume so eager to dance.

When the music stopped, and the lights started to dim, everyone applauded. Mikan, although it was dark, saw Hana, Daichi and Natsume make their way out the back where they could change in the rooms backstage, while Anna removed her mask and handed it to Yuu as she made her way up the stairs and onto the stage.

When the lights were back on, Anna was already on stage, smiling. Anna waited until the applauding died down before speaking.

"Good evening, I am Anna Umenomiya, your MC for tonight. I hope you enjoyed that performance" she said, smiling. "Also, the identity of the performers that will be performing tonight will be kept secret due to the theme of the Ball. So, since everyone is wearing masks, please enjoy yourself and don't worry and let loose. Though, I must remind you to remember your manners because there will be people who will not hesitate to remove you from the Ball, as well as following privileges that will be held in the future" Anna told them seriously.

"Well, can everyone please come onto the dance floor for the first dance? The first song will be an interesting one, called 'Don't rain on my parade', written by Jule Styne and Bob Merrill and sung by Lea Michelle. Well then, I hope you enjoy your first dance!" Anna announced and disappeared off stage after signalling for the music to start.

Everyone clapped as Anna went off stage before getting in position on the dance floor with their dance partners.

Hotaru patted Mikan's arm before heading onto the floor with Ruka. Everyone left the table to go onto the dance floor except Mikan and Kaito.

"They all look very… jumpy and happy" commented Kaito, leaning forward to whisper into Mikan's ear from behind as they watched the couples dance around on the dance floor. Mikan laughed, imagining everyone in frilly, puffy colourful dresses jiving.

"Yes, indeed. It's rather interesting, though" said Mikan, grinning. Mikan then saw three familiar people making their way towards her.

"It's Youichi Hijiri, Aoi Hyuuga and Kohana Tsukino" Mikan whispered to Kaito, slightly jerking her elbow towards the direction they were coming from. Kaito looked from the corner of his eye and saw three people heading their way.

"Would it be a problem if they know who you are?" Kaito asked her. Mikan shook her head.

"I want them to know. Actually, I think they already know" said Mikan. Kaito's eyebrows shot up.

"Really?" asked Kaito, stunned. 'How?' he wondered. Mikan nodded and turned to face the three kids in front of her.

"Hello" she whispered. Aoi and Kohana leaped at her, giving her a huge hug. Mikan hugged them back. She then let go and went over to hug Youichi.

"Hello, Little man" she greeted him. Youichi returned a greeting and stared at Mikan, along with Aoi and Kohana.

Mikan looked around, confused. "What?" she asked them.

"Your voice sounds different" stated Youichi. "Puberty?" he asked her. Mikan sweat dropped. Kaito, who was currently watching, chuckled.

"Uh, no, Youichi" she replied. "Hotaru gave me a tablet that changes my voice" said Mikan. All three kids let out an 'ohh' in realisation. Mikan laughed at their reaction, before turning confused as to why they kept staring at her.

"What now?" she asked them.

"When are you going to tell him you're here, Mikan-nee?" Aoi asked Mikan. Mikan smiled.

"Soon enough, Aoi" Mikan promised her. "But if he doesn't end up realising it, I'll drag him out and slap him on the head and then rip my mask off, alright?" assured Mikan. Aoi giggled and nodded. They went quiet when they saw Natsume approach them. Luckily for them, the first dance had finished and everyone was returning.

Soon enough, everyone had returned to the table before Natsume arrived. After Anna went on stage, wearing her actual dress for the night, and told everyone there will be free time and for everyone to enjoy themselves, Anna went down stage and joined them at their table, now wearing her mask. Not that it would hide who she was, anyway.

"Hey, I'm Anna" Anna introduced herself to Kaito and Mikan, holding out her hand. Mikan smiled and shook Anna's hand.

"Hello, I'm…Michelle" she introduced herself. Kaito then shook Anna's hand and introduced himself.

"I'm Kaito" he said. "Is this Ball an annual thing?" he asked everyone. Nonoko nodded. Natsume's eyebrows rose when he remembered the guy he bumped into not long ago. He was sure it was the same Kaito.

"Yeah, it is. And by the way, the dance was great!" Nonoko praised as Hana and Daichi made their way towards the table, wearing their outfits for the rest of the night. "You would agree, wouldn't you?" she asked everyone, looking around.

"Yes it was, indeed" Mikan agreed. They continued to talk until Kaito asked Mikan to dance. Mikan grinned and agreed. Kaito smiled and grabbed Mikan's hand and dragged her onto the dance floor.

Everyone watched as Kaito spun Mikan around and lead her around on the dance floor. They continued to dance for two or three songs until they declared themselves tired. Mikan made her way back to the table while Kaito went to grab some food.

When Mikan came back, she saw Aoi asking her brother to dance with her. Of course, being Natsume Hyuuga, he refused. And of course, being Aoi Hyuuga, she didn't give up. And of course, both being 'Hyuuga's, they were both stubborn.

"Come on, please?" she asked him.

"No"

"PLEEAASE" she begged.

"No" Natsume answered. Aoi frowned.

"Yes, you will"

"No, I won't"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes"

"No"

"Yes!"

"No"

"_No_"

"Yes" Natsume answered. He then frowned when he realised what he said. Everyone at the table laughed. Aoi cheered and pulled Natsume out to the dance floor and grabbed both his hands and cheerfully jumped around, happy to dance with her brother. Mikan smiled as she watched the two siblings dance. Mikan suddenly felt arms wrapped around her own. Mikan smiled when she saw who it was.

"Hello, Sumire, Anna and Nonoko" she greeted them. "I've missed you" she said.

"We've missed you, too, Mikan… where did you go?" Sumire exclaimed. But she didn't bother to wait for an answer.

"Also, I must say, the dresses are absolutely awesome! Where did you get the time?" she asked. Mikan told her that she had ordered them and had them delivered to Hotaru with a note.

"Well, then… you're not as stupid and idiotic as we thought you were, then" said Sumire. Mikan raised an eyebrow.

"Uh…thanks…?" Mikan replied, unsure if she should take it as a compliment or an insult. She then turned to the boys and smiled at them.

"You like how your dates look?" Mikan asked them whilst grinning. All boys turned to look away. Mikan smirked, knowing that they were blushing behind their masks.

Moments later, Kaito arrived back to the table, holding two plates filled with food. Kaito took his place next to Mikan and handed her a plate. They started to eat, stealing food from each other's plates and giggling like little kids, unaware that Mikan's friends were staring at them.

A few minutes later, they were joined by Aoi and Natsume. Everyone laughed and joked around, occasionally going out to the dance floor to dance, well, everyone except Natsume, who was secretly eyeing 'Michelle' behind his mask. Anna then announced to her friends that the next performance was about to be performed. She then turned to Natsume, who nodded and leaned off the table, since he was currently leaning against it, and made his way to the edge of the dance floor, waiting for Anna to clear the dance floors.

Mikan watched as the lights started to dim when the song came to and end. Anna appeared on stage, smiling like she was told to, and held the microphone closer to her to speak.

"Alright, everyone, it's time for our next special performance. So could everyone please carefully clear the dance floor" announced Anna. She waited until she couldn't see any more dark figures on the dance floor and waited for one figure to make its way onto the floor.

"Alright, thank you. This performance will surely blow you away and have you wanting more. Well, let's leave it there. Please, welcome out performers!" announced Anna, signalling to the dance floor. A spotlight then focused on Natsume. Natsume turned his head to glare at an eating Hana, who merely shrugged and continued to eat.

'I am going to kill her' thought Natsume, glaring daggers at Hana. Mikan sighed and rolled her eyes. As Mikan made her way onto the dance floor, wolf whistles were heard. Mikan rolled her eyes again and continued to go take her position on the dance floor, aware that everyone's eyes were on her, and plopped herself onto the edge of the stage and signalled at Anna to cue for the music. Anna hesitated and made her way towards Mikan. Holding the microphone away from them, so the audience won't hear their conversation, Anna asked Mikan if she was sure of it. Mikan smiled.

"Yes, it's alright. I know the routine" she told Anna. Anna smiled and stood up properly and signalled for the music to start.

Mikan turned to look at Natsume and smirked. Natsume smirked at her as well. They both waited for the music to start. And when it did, it was like a competition between the two of them. [The dance- skip to 24 seconds: http: / / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=1R0h14l6Qzc&feature=related].

Natsume made his way over to the stage and picked Mikan up and spun around before letting her down on the ground. Mikan grinned and extended her leg, so she was doing the splits. Natsume got a hold of her leg and began to drag her onto the middle of the dance floor before lifting her up and spinning around.

"Keep spinning me around so fast and I'll vomit n you" Mikan muttered under her breath, her mouth not moving, when she was put back down on the ground again. She then pushed Natsume away, who smirked at her and approached her again, taking her hand in his and placed his other hand on her back.

"I'll be taking that risk, then" he muttered at her and lifted her off the ground again. As they danced, Natsume couldn't help but feel comfortable around her. His eyes widened. It wasn't the first time he felt like this. He felt the same way when he met 'Sakura Kana'. Natsume remembered Mikan had tattoos. One that would be visible would be on her wrist and one on back of her neck. Unfortunately for him, they were all hidden.

'Stupid bracelet' thought Natsume. 'Stupid hair' he thought. 'Though it_ is_ soft' he admitted to himself.

When their dance ended, everyone clapped and started to chant "_more, more, more"_

Anna appeared on stage and smiled. She then asked for everyone to quiet down. When they did, she spoke.

"And that was the Argentine Tango, everybody" she announced. "The song played was "La Cumparsita" by Gerardo Matos Rodríguez" she then turned to face Mikan and Natsume.

"So, how about it, performers? How about another dance?" she asked them. Mikan nodded at Anna and turned to face Natsume and they both started to talk.

"Well then, I guess we'll have another dance performed by them. How about we give them a moment to-"

"No need, Anna. Just cue music" Mikan replied, knowing Hotaru was probably at the music room, controlling the music and recording the performance. Anna nodded and cued the music and then disappeared off stage. [Dance: http: / / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=7JOSZpWrNQA]

This time, Natsume and Mikan stood about a meter apart from each other. Natsume was trying to see the colour of her eyes, but unfortunately for him, Mikan had closed her eyes. And he was sure for the rest of the dance, he wouldn't be able to find a way to make sure his intuition was correct.

When Mikan turned her back towards Natsume and wrapped her arms around his neck, she was sure Natsume inhaled her scent. It took almost everything in her body to not tense up.

As they made their way around the dance floor, Mikan was aware that Natsume was trying to find a way to move Mikan's hair away from her neck.

When Mikan laid her head on Natsume's shoulder, he leaned in and whispered, "just who are you?" Mikan grinned.

"Someone who lives on earth, but often lets herself drift into her own world" Mikan whispered. Natsume frowned at the answer.

'That will do for now, then" he answered. And then just like that, their dance ended. Natsume leaning over Mikan, looking directly into her eyes. That was when he saw it- her eyes.

'No. It wasn't right. It couldn't be' thought Natsume. Natsume frowned behind his mask. he had been so sure of. Yet, the colour of the girl's eyes which he was staring into at the moment were...

'Grey. Her eyes are _grey_'

* * *

><p>AN: Chapter 28 END~

The story's coming to an end, and I'm already having heaps of ideas for another story. Just need to choose which idea to use.

I hope you've enjoyed this chapter. This is the second last chapter (or so it should be. My planning doesn't always go as planned)

Please review (:


	29. Just the beginning

Disclaimer: I do not own Gakuen Alice.

Note: Of course, there are no changes in my grammar work.

* * *

><p>Mikan jogged her way backstage and headed into a room and slammed the door shut. Taking a deep breath, she whipped off her mask and went to grab her white dress from the rack where she last left it.<p>

Mikan shed out of her red dress and put on her white dress. She then went over to the table in front of a mirror and grabbed a different mask. The white dress was a long, strapless sweetheart dress with a lace, embroidered bodice and a front slit that went up to Mikan's mid-thigh. Mikan really liked her mask. It was white lace and edged in bold white pearl teardrops which were trimmed in a narrow white braid.

[White dress: http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage. cfm? cataId=PD&productid=742964&imgindex=1]

[Mask: http: / / www. successcreations. com / PhotoDetails. asp?ShowDESC=N&ProductCode=A-0263WL]

Whilst looking at her reflection in the mirror, she heard a knock on the door. Mikan quickly and carefully so it wouldn't ruin her hair, put on her mask and headed over to open the door after taking one last glance at herself in the mirror.

"Ah, Kaito, come in" she said when she saw that it was Kaito standing behind the door. Kaito walked in, his eyes never leaving Mikan.

"Wow, I'm glad you changed your dress. You look…amazing" he said. Mikan grinned and thanked him.

"Just hold on a minute while I find the shoes that go with this dress…" said Mikan, looking around her as she hoped on and foot to take off her shoes that she was currently wearing. Mikan successfully took of her lovely Strappy Pewter Shoes and neatly placed them next to each other beside the rack where she placed her red dress and then walked bare foot around the room to find the other shoes.

"Are these the shoes you were looking for?" Kaito asked her, holding up a pair of 4 inch, matte satin and lace, white closed toe shoes by Jen & Kim. Mikan spun around instantly, a bright smile appearing on her face. [http: / / www. simplydresses. com/ popups/ biggerimage. cfm? cataId=PS&productid=808001&imgindex=1]

"Yes, they are!" she told him. Mikan made her way over to Kaito to take the shoes from him when Kaito suddenly dropped down on one knee and placed her feet into the shoe one by one. Mikan thanked him with a smile when Kaito stood up again.

"Well then, let's go" said Kaito, opening the door. Mikan nodded and headed out the door after looking back at the room one last time and making sure she had her mask on.

When they came out from backstage, Kaito grabbed her and they spun onto the dance floor as if they were there all along.

Soon enough, the song finished so Mikan and Kaito made their way towards the table. When they arrived, everyone was staring at Mikan.

"Michelle! You look absolutely…WOW!" exclaimed Sumire, jumping in front of her. Mikan laughed.

"Why, thank you, Sumire" said Mikan. Mikan turned around to see Natsume changed into a white suit. The white suit she and Natsume had gone to buy at Central town.

"You look good, Natsume" Mikan complimented him. Natsume answered with his usual 'Hn' and turned to grab him cup of water. Mikan stared at Natsume for a moment before turning back to everyone else on the table.

Anna suddenly appeared on stage and said it was the end of the Ball for the elementary students. Aoi and Kohana groaned in protest, along with other elementary students.

"I'm sorry, but it'll start to get crazy later on in the night. I can guarantee it" said Anna, grinning. "But, can everyone else clear the dance floor so the elementary students could have their final boogie on tonight" requested Anna. The students cheered and ran onto the dance floor. Youichi looked back at Mikan with pleading eyes to save him whilst Aoi and Kohana dragged him onto the dance floor. Mikan merely smirked and looked away, pretending not to see anything. Youichi's mouth dropped in shock before shutting it and glaring at Mikan.

While the elementary students danced around with their friends, everyone else in the auditorium were either grabbing a snack or watching the kids dance around. Though for Mikan, she felt someone stare at her. And she knew it wasn't Natsume. Mikan looked around with her eyes only, not moving. She then spotted a familiar figure standing by the tables full of food, facing her, staring at her behind his mask.

'I'm not having a good feeling about this' assumed Mikan. Mikan tightened her grip on her glass of juice. Kaito noticed how Mikan's knuckles were turning white, so he held out his hand and took her hand in his and gently squeezed it. Mikan stared at their entwined hands and smiled then smiled at Kaito. Kaito smiled back and leaned into Mikan, so he could whisper into Mikan's ear.

"What's wrong?" he whispered, wrapping his arms around Mikan's waist from behind. Mikan leaned her back against Kaito's chest and turned her head to talk into his ear.

"There's a son of a bitch here that I'd like to have turned inside out" Mikan muttered as she held onto Kaito's arms. Kaito chuckled and got a hold of one of Mikan's hands and held it in his.

"Well, try not to, because I think you won't have much of a nice 'Welcome Back' party" joked Kaito.

From across the table, Natsume grabbed the edge of the table tightly, secretly glaring at the two people across from him acting lovey-dovey. Natsume snapped out of it when he felt something hit him on the head. Natsume turned around to glare at the person and saw Hotaru.

"Calm down, Hyuuga. Or you'll end up melting the place" ordered Hotaru before walking over to Mikan. Hotaru pulled Mikan from out of Kaito's arms and spoke.

"And you- stop the love act. It's annoying" said Hotaru. Mikan blushed when she replayed the image of Kaito and herself a moment ago.

"Oh, sorry" she apologised. Hotaru rolled her eyes and nodded. She then glanced behind her and turned back to Mikan.

"Watanabe?" she asked Mikan. Mikan nodded. Hotaru heaved a sigh. Then, they heard the music finish and lots of people heading towards them. Turning around, they saw the elementary students make their way out the door. Mikan's eyes widened and she quickly pulled Hotaru aside to prevent them from being trampled over.

"Well, that's all we needed, aye? To be almost stomped on by cute, little kids" grumbled Mikan, staring at the children walking past. Hotaru rolled her eyes at Mikan, who high-fived some of the kids that waved at her.

"They are absolutely adorable!" Mikan exclaimed, bringing two fists underneath her chin and started squealing.

"Yeah, whatever, but calm down, because hell's about to come your way" said Hotaru before disappearing. Mikan looked around to see Watanabe Akatsuki confidently making his way towards her. Mikan couldn't help but roll her eyes behind her mask.

"Hello, Miss…?" asked Akatsuki, trying to catch her name. Mikan turned on her acting skills and tried her best to give a smile sincere as possible.

"Oh, I cannot give you my name. It would ruin the whole point of tonight" said Mikan. Akatsuki smirked. Mikan wanted to grab a knife and cut it run off.

"Well then, at least give me the honour of having one dance with you" said Akatsuki, holding out a hand for Mikan. Mikan offered her hand and they both went onto the dance floor.

* * *

><p>Natsume and Kaito watched as Mikan made her way with Akatsuki onto the dance floor. Kaito knew that it was Akatsuki, whilst Natsume, he wasn't so lucky to know, so, while he watched, his grip on the edge of the table tightened. Kaito turned to see Natsume's knuckles all white.<p>

"Oi, if you continue that, you'll end up breaking the table" joked Kaito. Natsume snapped out of it and turned to face Kaito before letting out his usual 'Hn' before grabbing his drink and draining it down.

"You know who that is?" Kaito asked him, pointing towards Mikan and Akatsuki. Natsume shook his head. Kaito smirked. "The guy's Watanabe, if you wanted to know" said Kaito before turning around to watch Mikan again. Natsume raised an eyebrow at Kaito before turning away to watch Mikan and Akatsuki dance, only to see the girl make her way back to the table, her hand on her hip, whilst the other on clenched up in a fist. Kaito and Natsume turned to look at Akatsuki, who was crouching over. Natsume and Kaito grimace, realising what had happened. Only, they didn't know why.

When Mikan came back, Kaito got a hold of her and asked her what happened.

"What a stupid son-of-a-bitch" Mikan muttered, looking behind her to glare at Akatsuki one last time.

"Well…you see…" Mikan started off.

-Flashback-

_Mikan and Akatsuki made their way onto the dance floor. With the music already playing, they started to dance immediately._

"_I must say, you look absolutely stunning" commented Akatsuki, as he grabbed both of her hands and pulled away to get a full view of her before spinning her around._

"_I know" Mikan replied arrogantly, already knowing what Akatsuki had in mind. Akatsuki chuckled._

"_I like a woman that knows what she is" he said._

"_I can tell" Mikan replied. Akatsuki smirked._

"_Good to know" he said. He then spun Mikan around and then pulled her up against his chest, his arms wrapped around her waist. "You have such interesting eyes, too. A lovely grey, I must say"_

_Mikan turned her head away to roll her eyes. She the laughed as if she shyly, to cover up why she looked away. "You flatter too much, you know that?" said Mikan, wrapping her arms around his neck._

"_Yes, I've been told a couple of times" admitted Akatsuki, spinning them both around. "You dance divinely" he said after a while. He then pressed himself closer to Mikan and leaned himself forward to whisper in her ear._

"_How about we do another dance later in my room?" he whispered. He then pulled away and moved his hands down towards Mikan's legs. He then hand one hand on Mikan's thigh, and the other on her ass. And Mikan didn't like that, but she played along anyway._

_Mikan leaned forward, next to Akatsuki's ear. "Dream on, boy" she whispered. Mikan unwrapped her arms from around Akatsuki's neck, but he got a hold of her waist and tightened his grip. Mikan glared at him behind her mask._

"_Let go of me" she told him in a calm voice. Akatsuki smirked, and instead of doing as told, his grip around her. Mikan rolled her eyes. "You asked for it, mate" said Mikan. Then, in a flash, she kneed him in the crotch. Akatsuki grunted from the pain and immediately let go of Mikan, who smirked and patted him on the back before walking away._

-End of flashback-

Kaito grimaced and looked over Mikan's shoulder to glare at Akatsuki. Natsume, who happened to eavesdrop on what Mikan was saying, also turned to glare at Akatsuki, only, Natsume also waited until Akatsuki grabbed something to eat before burning the top of the food. From afar, he could see Akatsuki choking on the food and trying to find a bin to spit it out.

Moments later, Anna appeared on stage and asked everyone to quiet down

"Well, how is everyone enjoying their night so far?" she asked everyone. The students cheered loudly. Anna used her hand to cover her mouth as she laughed, along with the rest of the students.

"Well, that's good to hear. So, how about we have two people come up onto the stage and show of a bit of dancing?" asked Anna. Anna sweat dropped when the auditorium came quiet and no one came forward. She was about to let it pass, when she suddenly spotted Hotaru in the music room at other end of the auditorium, pointing towards a piece of paper. Anna realised what Hotaru was telling her and cleared her throat. Hotaru was probably going to shoot her later with her Baka gun for not remembering the script that she gave earlier.

"Well, how about we have a random spotlight?" asked Anna, tilting her head up slightly too look at the people who were controlling the spotlight. The two people nodded and grinned. Anna smiled and nodded.

The lights started to go around the room, every now and then slowing down at a table, just to scare the people before moving the light away.

In the end, the spotlight, as expected, stopped at the table full of her friends. Anna caught Mikan's stare and grinned sheepishly. She then cleared her throat to gain attention from everyone.

"Well, I guess the lucky table has been chosen. Now, how about two volunteers?" asked Anna. She then added, "Before we force everyone at the table to dance?"

Sumire and Nonoko let out an 'Eep', remembering the script given to them, and immediately grabbed Natsume and Mikan by the arm and pushed them forward. Mikan and Natsume stumbled forward, and both looked back to glare at the two girls, who had their hands behind their back, looking innocent.

Mikan rolled her eyes at them and turned to look at Natsume, who was still glaring at them. Mikan waited for him to stop glaring at them and pay attention to her. When he did, she spoke.

"You alright with this?" she asked him. Natsume shrugged and took a step back and bowed, offering her his hand. Mikan smiled and accepted it, and Natsume lead them to the stage, helping her onto the stage, up the stairs, before going up the stairs himself.

"So, what dance will you be dancing?" Anna asked them. Mikan and Natsume looked at each other for a brief second before turning back to look at Anna and answering in union.

"Waltz" they replied. Anna smiled and nodded.

"Well then, we're looking forward to it" said Anna, heading off stage after cueing the music.

[Waltz: http: / / www. youtube. com/ watch?v=o1tg73_g8mg]

Kaito picked up his drink as the music started. He watched Natsume and Mikan dance on stage. How perfectly in sync they were, despite the fact that they were doing it without any rehearsal, or at least, that's what everyone thought. Kaito smirked behind his drink when he remembered Mikan showing him a dance that she danced with 'someone' a while ago. For some reason, he knew it was now.

Hotaru suddenly appeared out of nowhere. Kaito didn't even bother to look at her. Instead he asked her, "How do you do it?"

Hotaru raised an eyebrow at Kaito behind her mask. "What?"

Kaito set down his drink before turning around to face Hotaru, who was currently watching Mikan and Natsume dancing on stage.

"You know, having the will to do whatever it takes to make a friend happy" said Kaito. Hotaru stayed silent.

"Well, Yamamoto, when you care about someone, you don't really care about the cost. You just go ahead and do whatever it takes" answered Hotaru before walking away, disappearing in the crowd. Kaito chuckled and shook his head and turned around to watch Mikan and Natsume on stage.

* * *

><p>Natsume lead Mikan around the stage, spinning her around. The fact that she knew the dance that they were doing at the moment was almost enough evidence for him to be sure enough that the person in front of him was Mikan was enough to make his heart explode.<p>

Mikan smiled as she spun around. She was at the brink of stopping everything and laughing uncontrollably. Natsume was trying so hard to take another glimpse of her eyes.

"So, how has your night been so far?" Mikan asked him.

"It's alright. But there's something missing" replied Natsume.

"More like _someone_'s missing to me" said Mikan, grinning. Natsume raised both his eyebrows behind his mask. Even though Mikan was sure that Natsume had raised his eyebrows, she pretended not to know anything.

"Don't worry, your missing someone is closer than you think" said Mikan. Natsume stared at the person in front of him.

"I sure hope so" he muttered. Then, just at that moment, Natsume saw it- her eyes. Those lovely, mesmerising eyes he's missed for so long- Those lovely brown eyes he's been wishing to see the moment he was separated from her.

When the dance ended, Natsume pulled the girl towards him, one arm around her waist, the other cupping her cheek, staring into her eyes.

"Meet me as soon as you get everyone off your back" Natsume told her before disappearing off stage, leaving Mikan along on stage. Mikan bowed at the audience and quickly went off stage and headed towards her table. As soon as she reached her table, she grabbed Kaito's drink from out of his hand and gulped it down,

"Hey! I was drinking that!" exclaimed Kaito. Mikan wiped her mouth with the back of her hand.

"Sorry, Kaito, but I have to go" she told him before running out of the auditorium, lifting up her dress so it wouldn't touch the ground. Kaito smiled at Mikan's retreating figure.

"Good luck, kid" he whispered.

* * *

><p>Mikan ran down the hallways, not stopping until she reached her destination. Even though Natsume hadn't told her where to go, she already knew where to go. Mikan stopped a couple of metres away from the Sakura tree. When Mikan arrived, she found Natsume standing underneath the Sakura tree, his back facing her, his mask in hand.<p>

Mikan took a couple of steps forward, but immediately stopped when Natsume turned around, his lovely crimson orbs looking through her soul.

"Take off your mask" he told her, eyes showing determination. Mikan remained silent, unmoving. "Remove the mask. Now" he told her. Mikan closed her eyes and raised her right hand up to her mask. Mikan look off her mask and opened her eyes. And in a flash, she was wrapped in Natsume's arms. Mikan smiled and hugged him back.

Natsume pulled back and placed a hand on her cheek and leaned down to place a kiss on her forehead. Mikan smiled.

"You're not acting like yourself" she joked. Natsume smirked,

"It's a night to let go and act who you wish you could be" he answered. Mikan laughed.

"I guess it is" she said. Mikan then rolled her eyes and took a step back, crossing her arms over her chest.

"Alright, out with it. Say what you want to say" she told him. Given the chance, Natsume started immediately.

"You _crazy_ woman!" exclaimed Natsume. "How could you do such a foolish act without telling me first?" Natsume paced back and forth.

"Plus, how come you were able to change your eye colour all of a sudden? I don't get it" he added. He then paced around some more before stopping suddenly and pointing at Mikan and continuing, "AND, you owe me for not ripping off your mask sooner."

Mikan rolled her eyes and nodded.

"Do you have any idea how creepy were when they realised that _the_ Mikan- the _Mikan_ that happened to be quite…also creepy,-

"Hey!"

"-happened to miss out on class? Not to mention about the whole week of school? They were able to be more annoying than I thought ever possible. And did I mention how beautiful you look tonight?"

Mikan bit her bottom lip, to prevent her from laughing at Natsume's outbursts. Mikan took a step forward and wrapped her arms around Natsume.

"Alright, I think that's enough for tonight. You can continue tomorrow" she said. Natsume opened his mouth to say something, but Mikan cut him off.

"I was wearing contacts. I expected you to figure that one out yourself" said Mikan. Natsume stared at her. "Hotaru left them in the dressing rooms, and when I went backstage to put this dress" Mikan gestured towards the dress she was wearing "away to wear later, I quickly put them on" she explained.

"I didn't see you take them off" stated Natsume. Mikan grinned.

"Of course you didn't. You were too busy watching the spotlight going around the room. I took them out while everyone was completely anxious, hoping that the spotlight wouldn't land on them" answered Mikan. Natsume opened his mouth to say something again, but Mikan cut him off.

"And, as for my irrational act- I am sorry. It won't happen again" she promised. Natsume nodded and hugged Mikan.

"Unless it's absolutely necessary" muttered Mikan. Natsume's eyes widen and he pulled out from the hug. Mikan rolled her eyes and cut Natsume off before he could say anything.

"And as for your last question…no, you haven't" she said, grinning. "Does that mean that you will?" asked Mikan.

Natsume smirked. "Nope" he answered. Mikan pouted and crossed her arms over her chest.

"Oh well, then I guess I'll go back into the auditorium and get other guys to compliment me then" she said, slowly turning around to walk away. Mikan secretly smiled when Natsume pulled her back into a tight hug, making sure she couldn't escape. Natsume buried his face into Mikan's hair and whispered to her.

"You're not only beautiful tonight, but also amazing, and stunning. But most important of all…" Natsume pulled back and looked into Mikan's eyes. "Most important of all, you're _you_. You're here- with me. And I'm probably happier than I've ever been in a while"

Mikan buried her face into Natsume's chest and hugged him. "Same here" she told him.

"Also, all the stuff in the letter…" Natsume started off.

"Yes, they're all true. Everything in it" answered Mikan, already knowing what Natsume was going to ask. Natsume nodded and tilted his head up and looked at the moon, his arms still wrapped around Mikan. Mikan looked up and the moon as well.

"It's beautiful" she whispered. Natsume nodded and looked down to look at Mikan.

"But I'll have _you_ any day over that _moon_" jerking his head towards the moon. Mikan laughed.

"Thank you" she murmured before pulling on Natsume's tie so she could kiss him. Natsume instantly kissed her back.

After a few minutes, they pulled away, and walked over to the Sakura tree and sat down on the ground. Well, Natsume sat down on the ground. Mikan sat on his lap.

"I can sit on the ground, you know" said Mikan.

"I know. But then you'd get crap on your dress" replied Natsume. Mikan laughed.

"You can you. Your suit's white, too, you know" Mikan pointed out.

"I know. I don't care" answered Natsume. Mikan hummed in reply and leaned her back against Natsume's chest.

After an hour or so, Mikan suggested that they head in. Natsume agreed and lifted Mikan off his lap, steadying her on her feet before standing up himself. He then grabbed their masks and put on Mikan's mask for her before putting on his own before they walked back to the auditorium, hand in hand.

* * *

><p>Anna and Nonoko head towards Kaito, who was currently eating.<p>

"Kaito, where's Mikan? She's been gone for about an hour" said Nonoko. Sumire appeared beside her when she heard Mikan's name. Next to Kaito, Ruka took a sip from his drink and nodded.

"Natsume as well" he added.

Just then, they all spotted Mikan and Natsume making their way towards the table, hand in hand. All of their smiles widened as the pair came closer.

"A happy ending, I reckon" said Kaito when Mikan and Natsume arrived. Natsume chuckled and took their place at the table. Natsume put an arm around Mikan's waist and pulled Mikan closer to him.

"No, it's not…" he said. He then squeezed gently squeezed Mikan's waist. Mikan smiled brightly and gave Natsume a peck on the lips.

"Indeed, it isn't. It's just the beginning"

* * *

><p>End of chapter, and end of story.<p>

Completed on the 11th of January, 2012

* * *

><p>AN: Well, how was it? I hope you enjoyed the story. I'm sorry if the ending was completely…blah. I'm not good at ending stuff. So, yeah. I apologise for that.

Well, please leave a review and tell me your thoughts (:

* * *

><p>Oh, by the way. I'm starting another story. It shall be called… Well, I don't know just yet. I'm working on it. But, I'll give you a rough, unofficial (but most likely the official one) summary:<p>

Mikan Sakura, someone who works by breaking the rules to do the right thing, is given a mission to protect Natsume Hyuuga, one entitled to take over his parent's very successful and well-known company. And this mission requires one rule: "Don't fall in love or else everyone around you will die in bloodshed"

Well, bye bye for now (:


	30. AUTHOR NOTE: Sequel, Chapter or Nothing?

HELLO, LOVELY READERS!

I was just wondering whether you still have any confusions that would like to be answered within the story, because I realised there were a few missing details in the story - well, it's probably just me (I'm a very picky person). So, there's a poll on my profile asking:

"For 'A new girl's presence', would you rather..."

There are three choices:

1) A sequel that will continue on with the story (obviously .)

2) A chapter or so that summaries up everything in the story

3) Nothing. I don't mind or care (Me:-sob sob- I see how it is... )

_I'll delete this note in a couple of weeks~_

_._

_._

_.  
><em>

Love,

PromisesWithinLife


	31. AUTHOR NOTE: The Reveal

Hey, People!

How are you? I'm good. I think. I don't know.

But, yeah. Um, yeah...

_SO_, for ANGP, majority of votes voted for...

-Insert drum roll-

.

.

.

.

.

.

A SEQUEL!

YAAAAAAAAY!

Er...no.

.

BUT... I WILL have to add another chapter to continue for the sequel, so, the FINALLLL...(or so, i think) chapter will be up...(i don't know when) and it'll sort of lead to the sequel of ANGP.

Would you like a clue as to what the sequel will be like? Yes? No? I don't care. Stop reading if you don't want to know then, 'cause IMMA BE TYPINGGGG~ (sorry...i'm currently in crazy mode as I type all of this down).

I'm not sure about it yet, but...hmmm:

-Someone new will come along in the story (ANOTHER PRESENCEEEEEEEE...(Damn, i'm crazy)- I'm sort of juggling a bit on this idea, though. But it'll make sense with all the presence stuff, yah know?)

-All of them will all be graduated and out of school... probably 20s? So they'll be having jobs (dotdotdot)

Yeah... all of this is a bit cough, but um..yeah.

HOPE YOU LOOK FORWARD TO IT!

IF YOU HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS, GO AHEAD AND MENTION SOME~

I won't bite :)

Maybe.


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